The Last Knight of Torigan
by Big Sister Kitty
Summary: AU, Ledah-centric. Plans don't usually go awry at the least notice, but it takes a special kind of ignorance to achieve that. [Discontinued]
1. The World's Ruin

_**The Last Knight of Torigan**_

Meh, another Ledah fic for you to read among the others scattered all over here. A warning though, this story is kind of dark. Hardly anything good happens here. There'll be a lot of stuff taking place here that's probably a bit scarring to a character's sanity, so I hope I have rated this properly. And as you will see, I have taken my liberties with the information on the game.

I must warn you though—this story may contain cheesy fantasy clichés, depending on how you look at it. I, for one, will be more careful with my use of tropes. -.-; I can understand that introducing ten OC's at once is a tad unwise.

**Disclaimer for the entire story so that I may never have to repeat myself again:** I do not own _Riviera: The Promised Land_.

_**The Knights of Torigan, in order of rank:  
**_Dias, _the powerful Gray Knight.  
_Ezra, _the swift Wind Fencer.  
_Kirie, _the studious Divine Priestess.  
_Nanai, _the cold Maiden of Ice.  
_Gelt, _the agile Hero of Storms.  
_Valdes, _the wise Student of Sacraments.  
_Idrah, _the severe Gilded Sage.  
_Malice, _the apocalyptic Lady of Frost.  
_Ledah, _the solitary Angel of Fire.  
_Feuer, _the compulsive Lord of Blazes.  
_Vann, _the crusading Holy Knight.  
_Pura, _the saintly Muse of Songs._

**Chapter I: The World's Ruin**

_In ages past a great battle known as the Ragnarok was waged upon the world of Riviera. The annals that described these told of stories stained with blood. But this was a war long forgotten. No one knows its exact origin or why it had started in the first place. And neither did anyone know how it had ended._

_The remnants and artifacts—all that had to do with the Ragnarok—were hidden away. They were kept in the great castle of Torigan, an imposing structure carved from dark stone. This castle stood atop a high cliff, enshrouded with thick forests, so that no mortal eyes may dare be cast upon it. And as a result, this story has become but a mere legend to those living in the present._

_The only ones who know of Castle Torigan's grim secret are its guardians—the Twelve Knights of Torigan. They are powerful beings, human to the mortal eye and with black wings. They fiercely protected the castle with great weapons—Diviners, holy weapons used in the War but were sealed of their true powers to prevent any lust for it. These mysterious guardians made sure of the castle's secrecy for the good of the world. They lived a life of solitude and duty, for the hope that the artifacts may never be accessed again._

_Many years passed. Riviera has grown peaceful. And it has forgotten the war._

-o0o-

"Enemies! They've breached the northern section through the towers!" cried a young man with black wings and gray robes as he took hold of a large, three-pronged spear and flew out of a tall window.

"I'll go with you!" said another. This one was blond with a red cape. He armed himself with a red spear and took off to follow his comrade.

He felt the strong wind and realized that it was going to rain soon. The sky was dark and cloudy. Lightning flashed in the distance. They flew towards two great towers standing against the wind. Leather-winged creatures were darting back and forth, trying to enter the towers. Seven feather-winged beings were holding them off with their weapons.

It was a horrible sight. No matter how many the Knights slew twice more would come from all directions. Those enemies were blending in well with the darkness around them, giving them an advantage over their opponents. It was indeed a shame that their Diviners were sealed of their true powers, else they could have finished scores with one swing. Soon, much to the frustration of the gray-robed one, the thick clouds could hide the moon if this weather does not let up.

"What _are_ they, Dias?" the caped one asked, bewildered.

As if to answer he felt something claw onto his back. He cried out in pain as he felt his wings being hacked. Black feathers and dark blood scattered his vision.

"_Ledah!_" Dias yelled.

He dropped from the sky, the beast on his back. He swung his weapon behind him. The creature groaned, and the two tumbled down roof after roof until they both hit the ground. His enemy fell a few meters in front of him. Ledah tried to support himself on his weapon, but his vision was fading. The ground was stained with his blood as well as that of his enemy, though it was dark to the point of blackness, but he saw the creature that had attacked him. It was something like a gargoyle, with black leathery wings and great fangs and claws. Its glowing yellow eyes conveyed a meaning which was one of blood lust.

The monster lunged at him. Ledah felt immobile. It made one final cry before a flash of lightning struck between them, and he saw Dias holding out his hand. The monster was lying in its pool of dark blood, diluting in the fresh rain. On its back stood a gleaming three-pronged spear, flashing in the lightning.

"Here, lean on me." Dias pulled him up and placed his arm around the other man's shoulder. He walked to the corpse, pulled out his lance, and slowly took off. He then went to a low roof, gently placed Ledah on his side, and then turned towards a group of three of their tardy comrades and called out to one with mint green and white robes.

"Kirie! We have a man down!"

Kirie flew over to them, her staff glowing softly against the dark sky. Dias flew off to join the fighting with the other two. Ledah tried to get up and follow them, but Kirie held on to his shoulder.

"No," she told him gently. "It won't be long. I promise."

Ledah felt his strength return to him as Kirie closed his wounds with her staff. He spread his wings and took off to join the rest. Kirie followed.

Ledah saw the shadow of a gargoyle discreetly pass them from below. It seemed to be going to the general direction of the underground catacombs. He quietly swooped down to follow it.

"Ledah!" Kirie called after him.

"Join the others! This one's mine!" he called back. _It must not reach the catacombs!_

Kirie nodded and flew off her way.

The catacombs are where countless souls were laid to their rest. The horrible earthy tombs hold the ancient memories of the Ragnarok, and are the hiding place of the holy weapons. They must not be reached at any cost!

With a burst of energy Ledah darted forward. The gargoyle sensed his presence and dodged him. It rushed forward into a window. Ledah followed.

Past corridors and hallways the gargoyle flew. Ledah was amazed at its energy and agility. He could not fly fast enough to turn cleanly around corners that the gargoyle seemed to prefer. Finally, the creature stopped once it reached a door at the end of a hallway. Ledah flew to him in time, but he was already tired from the chase. It had been years since the last intruder, and he had didn't have much practice in times of peace.

The gargoyle bared its claws and slashed through the door. Ledah pulled a torch from its sconce in the hallway and entered the room.

Inside, he could see nothing but dust and a stone staircase spiraling downwards, complemented by a stale, musty odor. This was the only way to the catacombs.

He flew down, gliding slowly. The gargoyle must have suspected him, but it made no noise.

He finally reached the bottom and set his torch on a nearby stand, illuminating the piles of bones, skulls, and rusty weapons and armor. He coughed—it was hard to breathe in the stale air. At the far end was a heavy black door made from anbisium, the hardest element known in Riviera. This could only be opened by a powerful blast from a Diviner, to ensure that no one but the Knights could access it. Behind that door was the most powerful and most guarded secret of Torigan. This must be what the gargoyle was after.

_The gargoyle!_

The torch was suddenly extinguished, and Ledah realized to his vexation that he had forgotten all about the gargoyle. A terrible cry cut through the air as Ledah immediately dodged an attack and landed into a pile of bones. They crumbled, but there were still sharp pieces that scratched him. He winced slightly from the pain and stood up to see a pair of glowing yellow eyes.

The monster let out a guttural sound, but it didn't move. Ledah immediately swung his spear at it. The Diviner glowed and burst into flames as he brought it down on the gargoyle.

For a moment everything seemed to go slowly. For a moment the fire illuminated the room. The gargoyle dodged the attack so swiftly that Ledah wasn't able to collect himself before he realized what he was doing.

And for a moment a loud clang was all he could hear before being blinded by a radiant amethyst light, forcing itself out of the crack in the anbisium.

-o0o-

Outside, the gargoyles immediately stopped fighting and fled. A bright light was emanating from one of the castle ramparts.

"Ledah—where is Ledah?" Dias asked Kirie.

"He must have gotten to the underground catacombs with that _demon__!_"

"Hades has been released!" cried Valdes, a Knight robed in dark green.

"But _how?_ Only a Diviner could break the seal!" Pura, a white-robed girl, exclaimed.

_Then he—!_ Dias gestured towards the rest of the Knights. "Those demons have fled! Everyone, to the catacombs!"

Ten of the Knights darted towards the way where Ledah had entered. Dias lagged behind.

_Ledah…what have you done?_

-o0o-

The gargoyle gave a terrifying screech and silenced. Ledah guessed that the light must have harmed it somehow. But if that was the case…why was he still alive?

"Ledah!"

Ledah tried to block the light with his hands, but the beams still broke through his fingers.

"Where are you? I can't see!"

"Hold out your Diviner!" he heard Kirie shout. "We must seal the door!"

Ledah understood. He held out his Diviner and aimed it at the door. He could hear a loud ringing from around him. The others were also focusing their Diviners.

Flashes of light in white, yellow, green, blue, and red slowly enveloped the purple, containing its brilliance until Ledah was able to see. A deep sound the likes of which he had never heard of before burst from the crack. It was indescribably magnificent…and sinister.

The purple light got brighter. It resisted the other colors, as if it were trying to force itself through them. Ledah felt a force pushing his Diviner back and saw that comrades were also starting to recoil.

"Hold on! We can't let him pass! Riviera must never experience darkness again!" Dias yelled as their Diviners cried louder. Ledah felt that his ears would burst from the loud ringing and the monstrous noise from the door, but he didn't dare move.

"One final blow!" Kirie cried. "One final blow! I will awaken our Diviners! Everyone!—"

"Dias!"

"The Longinus is ready!"

"Ezra!"

"Here is the Rosier!"

"Nanai!"

"Reinforce the Infinite Arc!"

"Gelt!"

"Guide my Tempest Bow!"

"Valdes!"

"May your knowledge purify!"

"Idrah!"

"They shall witness the glory of the Einherjar!"

"Malice!"

"Bring about the advent of the Skadi!"

"Ledah!"

"Awaken the Lorelei!"

"Feuer!"

"Let the Ignis Spear burn!"

"Vann!"

"Allow the judgment of the Excalibur!"

"Pura!"

"Evil shall be banished!"

Kirie turned to face the purple light. "Holy Saint Scepter, awaken your power!"

All the Diviners instantly glowed, sending a more powerful focus on their respective rays of light. The beams pushed the lone one back into the crack, and the anbisium slowly regenerated until the crack was completely closed. Everyone lowered their weapons and sighed. The room went dark.

Ledah coughed from the dust and tried to stand up. A scratching noise, and the torch illuminated the room once more. He could see the others were still dazed from what had happened, but everyone was all right. Although, something wasn't _quite_ right. What had happened to that monster with them a while ago? Did it disintegrate in the dark light?

A small sound startled everyone, and they all turned to face the door. The anbisium door trembled. Purple light struggled to push itself out of the edges of the door. Everyone braced themselves.

A crooked line split the door diagonally. Ledah gripped his Diviner.

Light spread. A small guttural noise resonated throughout the room, causing the others to look around them. The noise became louder, and seemed to come from all directions.

The noise stopped as soon as it had started. The light faded back inside. Everyone began to lower their weapons.

The door shattered, followed by a loud roar. A ghostly purple beam immediately shot through the doorway and hit Valdes, and Pura behind him.

"Hades has been revived! Stop him—!" he yelled over Pura's cry before they both fell down dead. The others paled.

"Valdes! Pura!" Feuer flung his spear at the light.

"Feuer! _No!_" Dias cried, but it was too late. The light retaliated by sending another shot straight at him. Feuer dropped to the ground without another word.

From the door came a skeletal figure of a gargoyle. It let out a monstrous roar before completely filling the room with a blinding purple light. The gargoyle stepped forth from the doorway, and the light slowly faded until it was only glowing from the wispy purple flames that burned the zombie.

Whether or not it was mad from excruciating pain, no one could tell. It leapt at Idrah and swiped a great claw at the Knight. Ezra ran forward and tried to stab it, but soon even he joined his comrade in a bloody pile. Now only Dias, Kirie, Nanai, Gelt, Malice, Ledah, and Vann remained.

Each of them touched their Diviners at the next one until they started resonating. At the same time, the zombie's hollow eyes burned an intense purple as its mouth started to foam. Before anyone could attack, the gargoyle made one final cry, and the glowing door shot through it and fanned to hit them.

The light spread throughout the castle. Down below a great roar shook the woods. The mortals of Riviera turned to look at the sky as the dark clouds gathered together in a great spiral, sending flashes of dark lightning onto the once peaceful world.

-o0o-

"Gill, I'm _scared_." Little Molan clung to her brother's sleeve tightly. They were standing in the middle of a great forest. The sun was setting.

Gill eyed the woods around them nervously, his palms wet against the coral staff he held. This was bad. He didn't want Molan to have to suffer because of him. The night is such a scary thing for little children lost in the woods, especially helpless little sisters. He was beginning to see why the grownups kept them from entering the forest of Nelde in the first place.

"D—don't worry, Molan. I came here to beat the monsters, remember? I came here because—because I want everyone to be safe," he said hesitantly.

"I don't wanna be eaten." Molan sobbed.

"Let's just keep going. We can hunt for demons in the morning." Gill held his sister's hand and led her further into the woods.

"Gill, what if we never get back? I miss Mommy…"

"We'll get back, I promise. I don't wanna get eaten when I wanna grow up to defend you and Elendia. I'll protect you right now, like a good hero should, so don't worry. Hey, look!" They both stopped at a clearing. A rusty gate, with tarnished figures of angels standing atop the gate posts, loomed before them. Beyond that was what remained of a once great castle, now silently crumbling.

The children silently regarded it with awe. Gill slowly stepped forward and touched the gate. The old metal creaked loudly as it gradually swung to the side. Shivering, the two children walked in.

The courtyard was scattered with old stones and fallen pillars. The great castle itself, upon closer inspection, was quite a marvel even in its dilapidated state. The great towers and ramparts were still intact, even if most were missing stones. Yet even in its ancient magnificence the old ruin reeked of death, so much that molds and ferns were rare, and the few that were scattered about were long withered.

The night wind whipped furiously around them, ushering them towards the large door. The children pushed it to one side, with some difficulty, and tried to ignore the loud creaking of the old hinges. Inside, old faded carpets and torn curtains lined the hall, and further into the dusty corridors were walls lined with portraits, each one a few feet tall. What was striking about these was that each one showed a stern-faced noble being with black wings, perhaps to convey their suffering to their aging specter of a home.

It began to rain, although it somehow comforted them, since it was eerily silent. They walked for some time, hoping to find a good place to sleep, which might not be too hard since the place was rightly void of inhabitants.

"Gill!" Molan motioned for her brother to look out a nearby window. Gill glanced out the window and immediately looked away. His spine prickled.

"Skeletons," he managed.

"W—what _are_ they?"

"I—I don't want to know." They both hurried further into the corridors. For a time, only the rain and the sound of their feet on the stone floor kept them company. They were grateful that there was it was merely a shower, and not a lightning storm. Dots of rain showed up on the moonlight spreading itself on the stone panels.

"Gill, I'm cold."

Gill said nothing, but held his sister's hand even tighter. They wandered further.

Presently, they came upon a door that seemed slashed with claws. On the ground, black feathers were scattered, still gleaming and downy even against the test of time. I spite of their situation, Molan couldn't resist kneeling down and picking up a rather long and streamlined down for safekeeping, amazed as she was at the find. She stood up sharply.

"D—did you hear that?" Molan whispered. Gill cocked his head to one side.

"It's—it's like a ringing…coming from…in _there_." He gazed at the doorway and looked at Molan. "You wanna go in?"

Molan gulped and nodded slowly. They went through the slashed hole. It was windowless and dark. Somewhere in front of them a faint light shone, an accompaniment to the melancholy ringing. It rang louder as the children approached it.

They came closer and saw a shining ruby-colored spear, floating in the darkness. It rang more gently this time as the children looked on in awe.

"Ow!" Molan cried softly. "I kicked something."

Gill put his foot forward and felt something hard. He then used his free hand and felt something smooth and clean-edged. "It's a table, I think."

As if to answer, the spear, ringing more pleadingly than they had realized, glowed brighter. Bright enough for the children to slowly make out the outline of a…

"A coffin." Gill felt a chill run down his spine. In the faint red light was a black form resembling that of a casket, and the spear was laid on top of it.

The spear glowed warmly, as if trying to calm the children's nerves. Its ringing gradually numbed to a soft hum.

Molan wasn't comforted, however, and she presently began tugging at her brother's hand, trying to pull him away. Gill, mesmerized, remained stationary. The light was pleading. He had to touch it. His hands were getting colder. There was a warm presence there. But Molan was beginning to cry.

Gill laid his small hand on top of the spear and pulled it down. He felt its warmth heating his cold palms.

"Gill," Molan whimpered.

Gill nodded and pointed the spear at the coffin to get a better look at it, out of curiosity. They would be out of here in a pinch afterwards.

There was something on the coffin. The light revealed great chains, whose purpose seemed to be to forcibly bind the soul residing within.

Something about the chain and the presence of warmth caused a great anger within Gill. It was not right to bind a resting place of this spear's owner. It wasn't _fair_. He lifted the spear as high as he could and, to Molan's horror, struck a link. The clang rang loudly as the chain split and loosened to the ground.

The coffin snapped open and poured out a blinding red light. Gill staggered back and fell. Molan stood stock-still behind him, her face a mixture of wonder and terror. A figure with two great, jet-black wings flew out of the casket, scattering black feathers in all directions. Despite the radiance, they could make out a cold, handsome face framed by fine locks of blond hair. He wore black clothing, but his cape was a vivid red, like his melancholy eyes.

The light grew fainter and fainter until nothing but the consistent glow of the spear in Gill's hands was the one illuminating the room. The strange being gently alighted on top of the open casket and surveyed the room. His eyes sparked with a flicker of surprise at the sight of the two children trembling near the door.

He said nothing as he flew down before them. He tenderly rubbed the tears from Molan's eyes, looking completely impassive as he did so. Molan choked back a sob and smiled feebly. Gill offered the spear to him with trembling hands, to which its recipient accepted without the slightest word.

-o0o-

The rain finally stopped. Ledah sat on the ledge of a tall window, staring stolidly at the night sky that he hadn't seen in so long. He had sent the children to separate rooms. Since the children were reasonably tired from their ordeal, they immediately fell asleep.

He looked around the state of neglect and decrepitude his home had suffered. It must at least be a hundred years since that dreadful night. But why was he alive? The last thing he could remember was being struck by that dark light and seeing his comrades fall to the ground, lifeless. After that was a hundred years of memories haunting his very slumber—a hundred years of accumulated regret contained within his mind and spirit as strongly as the chains bound his bed for a century.

High above the shadowy trees hung an orb of molten silver, gleaming hauntingly over the domain of Torigan.

-o0o-

The room Ledah had chosen for Molan's repose was decorated with dusty vases of wilted flowers and stubs of melted candles. A small portrait of a girl with gentle features and serene features guarded over the Sprite as solemnly as her expression yielded a fragment of a fated gloom.

-o0o-

Is it me, or does this ficky seem like a strange cross between a fantasy adventure and a _sentai_ animé? Oh dear, I certainly hope it isn't _too_ clichéd.

But, well, how do you like it? This story was inspired by a dream I had. Special thanks to **Hrover** for encouraging me to post this story. I wanted to see what I was capable of with the extent of whatever I happen to pick up in English, so reviews and criticisms are very much welcome.

Torigan used to be just a made up word before I realized I could translate it into Japanese. _Tori_ means bird, and _gan_ means eye, so you could say that the castle is sort of like a watchtower over AU Riviera. Anyways, Merry Christmas and see you again on the next update!


	2. A Hunting

**Chapter II: A Hunting**

The land of Elendia, a peaceful kingdom located between the nation of Rosalina and the wild forests of Nelde, is one of the few small kingdoms that have yet to be taken by the Legions of Hades.

At the far north is the dark country of Parveeju, where Hades is said to reside following the Great Storm a hundred years earlier. It is a large kingdom in perpetual night, bordered by the untamed Sea of Mirabys on the west and southwest and the immaculate realm of Yggdrasil, once home to the Guardian of Riviera, on the east.

Presently, Yggdrasil is a thick forest of giant trees and intertwining crystals, forming a barrier that hides the only resisting force that keeps Riviera from being fully taken.

At the northeast of Elendia is Tetyth, a ruined city that once prospered over a thousand years ago, and now the center of study for historians and scholars.

The great cemetery of Mireno, once a lovely wild plain, now a cold and barren field—a testimony to the Great Storm that ravaged it—lies directly south of Parveeju and connects it to the Rosaline-Elendian continent at a part of northern Elendia and Nelde.

Surrounding this continent are the neighboring countries that have been conquered by Hades—Lacrima, Kasa, Granteese, Vestiah, and a few others.

Following the subsequent conquests of the neighboring kingdoms, King Graham of Elendia has received word that Hades will be sending his dreaded Legions to attack the continent. Rosalina is presently at war with these, and is the only nation that keeps them from entering Elendia. The Legions have decided to take the long route to Elendia due to the realm of Yggdrasil blocking the main roads to the continent, and thus both Rosalina and Elendia have survived these years of war, but only until now, when they had successfully crossed the treacherous Mirabys.

Rosalina, the nation of the winged warriors, the Arcs, is locked in a desperate battle for their preservation as well as that of Elendia's. The news of the hostilities has troubled King Graham. The demons are winning, and the Arcs are close to extinction. The King's only option is to hide away Elendia's citizens within his palace walls.

-o0o-

The wind carried in the hot breeze, warming Fia's face as she stood in the balcony of her room. She looked down at the small houses and trees below the high cliff where her home stood. And since her home is a rather large palace, she has an excellent vantage point from which to look out and beyond to the mountains bordering Elendia and Rosalina.

Fia shook her head. Down below, the quaint domestic scene before her smudged. It hurt her to think that it would all just be trampled and leveled soon, and it hurt her more that the Arcs, good friends to Elendia, had already suffered it and still fought to defend her kingdom, despite losing everything they had.

The wind stopped, letting its sun-baked heat slowly wither her long, green hair. She sighed and went back to her room. But as she stepped onto the carpeted flooring she was greeted with a rather anxious rapping at her large twin doors. Without another moment to spare, the brass hinges turned swiftly to the sides and a very angry girl with long orange hair tied in two ponytails burst into the room.

Fia, who was only slightly startled by the outburst, took a few deep breaths and greeted: "Good morning, Lina."

Lina softened her expression, but her youthful face still held that frustrated little pout. "Lina doesn't like this."

Fia walked over to her friend. "What's wrong?"

"Lina's friends are gone, and the King doesn't want to go look for them!" Then, as if tired from all that anger, Lina let out a sigh and plopped down on Fia's bed. Fia smiled comfortingly and sat down beside her.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Gill and Molan are gone! The King doesn't want to find them!" Lina replied indignantly, almost childishly, but Fia knew when this girl was serious, and she was very serious right now.

"And you know what? The Arcs are losing, and I heard he was planning to keep everyone inside the palace!" Lina wiped away at an angry tear. "That's why he said we shouldn't go look for them! And Lina's madder because he doesn't want to help the Arcs, too! They're just as Lina's friends as Gill and Molan!"

_Grandfather? How could he?_ Fia stood up resolutely. "We'll have to see him about that."

-o0o-

"Grandfather!" Fia let her voice echo through the domed hall. In the center, the King sat on an elegant throne. Beside him was his female attendant, the dutiful Ladie, who stood at attention with a long spear in hand. She eyed Fia and Lina tiredly. Graham said nothing as Fia began.

"Grandfather! They're only children! Surely—"

"Your Highness, _please!_ This was a hard decision for your grandfather!" Ladie protested.

"And what about _the Arcs?_ _Why didn't you help them?_" Lina demanded.

"Lina!" Ladie snapped, a tone of warning in her voice. "You are addressing the _King!_"

"Then the_ King_ should very well explain himself!" Fia said, turning to her grandfather.

"Fia," the old man spoke feebly. "I know it is hard, but it is dangerous to send men to Rosalina. They would only be an impediment."

"But what about Lina's friends?" Lina snapped. "What about _them?_"

"Lina!" Ladie repeated.

"Let me make myself clear," Lina began, entirely ignoring Ladie. "Is it too dangerous to send somebody to find them?"

"At the very least," Fia agreed.

"We cannot. I have to make sure everyone is safe. The war…"

"Then _I'll_ go!" Lina interjected. "They're my friends!"

"And I—" Fia began, but was quickly interrupted by Graham.

"I won't allow you," he said weakly, but firmly.

Lina frowned deeper, her face reddening, but she made no comment as she stormed out of the hall. Fia quietly followed.

King Graham sighed as the sound of the door slamming reverberated through the hall. He had no choice. Kyle and Mylene, the parents of the two children, had come in earlier to plead for assistance. Graham knew them well. They were good fisher folk who lived peacefully with their neighbors. It was hard to decline, but he had to get everyone into the palace walls, and there simply wasn't time. Who knows when the Legions will pass through the mountains?

-o0o-

Kyle held his wife's shoulder consolingly as the crowds of townsfolk tried to edge their way into the palace while carrying a few of their belongings. Mylene smiled but held her shoulders, trying to control her trembling. Of all the times it had to happen, why now? Why now, when the Legions are to be expected? Why now, when war is so close?

The sun was setting, spilling magnificent colors of orange and purple onto the blackening sky. Far beyond the mountains, a demonic army slowly made its way up. The Wyverns scaled the distance in midair, accompanied by the agile Vampires. Below them are the Warriors with their Hounds, Archers next, and behind the lines were the Mages and Witches.

The palace gate creaked behind the troops of Elendian soldiers, some of whom were stationed at intervals along the road to the palace, as well as the village from which it led. The villagers were discouraged from peeking out from the battlements and even the windows so as to ensure that no one would be hit with fireballs or stray arrows.

A great shadow spread itself across the domain, and the silver of moonlight shone on the soldiers' weapons and armor. Everyone tensed, feeling cold sweat break out from under their helms despite the coming chill of evening. Far away, they could see the front line of the Legions approaching.

-o0o-

The balcony doors were closed tight, and Fia, oblivious to the early arrival of the Legions, placed a few more items into a small knapsack. She walked towards her rapier, which hung like a long glimmering needle against the wall. She traced the fine edge with her finger and removed the weapon from its hook. She then strapped it carefully to her waist, took her knapsack, and quietly shut the door behind her.

Her tiptoes seemed to tap loudly against the smooth parquet. The corridors were eerily silent.

She knew that somewhere in the palace was a door leading to a series of underground tunnels. For now, no one has yet to utilize these, in spite of the emergency, since the tunnels led to the forbidden forest of Nelde. She didn't know why they were there, if they were never to be used, however.

She walked silently past a few more corridors and descended a spiral staircase. At the bottom was a metal door, locked. She had forgotten to get the keys.

The young swordswoman gave an exasperated sigh at this mistake and proceeded to climb back up to search for the key. But she had not gone a few steps upward when she heard tense footfalls coming in from the doorway at the top, followed by the approaching glimmer of torchlight. She froze. That must be Ladie. She would be found out.

"_Fia!_" came a surprised, but very familiar, whisper. Fia released her breath as she saw Lina appear at the stairwell. She was even more relieved upon seeing a set of keys tinkling in Lina's hand.

There was no need for words at this point—both understood the nature of their circumstances. They nodded to each other as Lina slipped a key into the door. A small click followed. The two then pulled the heavy door aside to reveal a dark passageway, illuminated slightly by the nearby torchlight. A dank, earthy smell crept out from the shadows.

Determined, they both went in and closed the door behind them.

-o0o-

A small group of Arcs flew wearily up the steep mountain. From their perch, they could see the armies of Sprites and demons in fierce combat. The demons were gaining the upper hand.

A tall Arc cringed at the bandaged wound on his side. He was the leader of the remaining troops of Arcs that have fled the genocide of the demons.

_Elendia_, he thought. _They made it._

He had erroneously assumed that the mountains would slow the Legions down, but—he looked at the armies—the demons probably didn't anticipate their arrival. He turned his gaze towards his army, most of which were injured. Perhaps they could still launch a surprise attack.

His army, both men and women alike, all looked at him and nodded. They had lost the war, but Elendia hasn't yet. _They could still help Elendia._

-o0o-

"Where do we go now?" Lina asked wearily as they trekked through the dank earth.

"I'm not sure," was all Fia could say as they made their way past several more tunnels.

"Lina's tired."

"I know." Fia was too. They had been such fools not to hunt for a map of the underground tunnels, but doing so would have raised suspicion. The only ones both girls were able to trust were themselves—not that they had gotten themselves very far.

Fia sighed. As far as they both knew, these tunnels were supposed to take them to Nelde. They had hoped that the children only ventured into the forest, and not Rosalina, since the latter was further away and too daunting for children to attempt a crossing, but to see them alive and well in that demon-infested wood was wishful thinking. Still, they had to try.

"Lina's tired," Lina repeated. "But Lina will do it for Gill and Molan."

Fia nodded. These tunnels _have_ to lead somewhere, eventually. But then, even if they find the children, will Elendia still be there to come home to?

The damp walkways offered no reply, merely muffling the sounds of their shoes treading warily into the unknown.

They wandered aimlessly for a while. They were starting to wonder what had become of Elendia or if they even left it yet. The way to Nelde was short—surely they must have been walking in circles all this time. Fia gripped the ornate hilt of her rapier in frustration.

"Fia!" she could hear Lina cry as the scene before her dissolved.

-o0o-

"Everyone got it?" the Arc leader eyed his comrades expectantly.

They all nodded solemnly in reply.

"Then…" He turned to the battle scene below them. "We'll finish this. Once and for all."

Leather wings fluttered silently, blending into the night. Among them was a young girl, already forced to flee and fight for her life. She looked at the pale moon slowly being veiled by the dark clouds.

-o0o-

Lina's voice sounded distant, echoing. Fia tried to call out to her, but no sound came. She tried moving, but her body felt rigid. For now she was unsure of her surroundings. It was still the same place, but there was something _different_ about it.

The passageways were darker than usual, and only the faint glow of a faraway torch enabled her to see more-or-less properly. The glow grew larger, until she could make out an outline of a very lean young man, a few years older. He ran past her, _through_ her, as if she were nothing more than air. Or did she pass through _him__?_ She wasn't sure. The man was wearing a dark blue hooded cloak, effectively hiding his identity. Fia noticed a small greenish glint of what might seem like the point of a rapier. He seemed to be in a hurry. Perhaps his torch was losing its light to this still air.

An eerie howl echoed from behind them. The man, entirely ignoring Fia, abruptly whirled and saw a pack of demonic Hounds rushing towards them. He placed his hand on the hilt of his weapon threateningly.

"You're trapped," a voice from the other end of the passage mocked him. From the shadows, several soldiers came into the circle of torchlight, armed with a myriad of weapons ranging from swords to halberds.

The unidentified stranger made a soft smirk, though it was hard to tell with the darkness and the flickering torchlight. The soldiers only stared at him curiously. He chucked softly.

"What's so funny?" the leader demanded.

The man chuckled again, and spoke in a low voice: "Do you have any idea who you're dealing with, demon?"

"It looks like you need to know your place, Sprite," replied the leader, drawing his sword.

The man said nothing more. In one swift motion, he threw away his cloak with his free hand and gracefully drew his rapier, which glowed with a brazen greenish-silver. His face was partly untouched by light, but Fia could only make out a lightweight blue armor and, most striking of all, a magnificent pair of black wings that had scattered feathers when he unfolded them.

He laughed, a hearty, cheerful one. "I am Ezra, the Wind Fencer, and one of the Knights sent by the gods."

The demons were panic-stricken at this. The leader tentatively drew his sword and tried to remain calm. He sneered. "So? You're outnumbered." He turned to his men. "Well? What're you waiting for? _Attack!_"

They lunged at them. Fia retreated a few steps in a panic.

"_Fia!_" Lina's cry cut sharply through the air as Ezra raised the Rosier and sprang forward.

-o0o-

"Hold on men! Hold—_agh!_" An Elendian soldier dropped to the ground. A Vampire flew over his decapitated body, happily looking over the fresh blood on her scythe. Oh yes, she was really enjoying this.

"Huh?" She turned around, her ears pricked up. There was some rustling. And then, without a sound…

Serene disgustedly contemplated the bloody condition of her blue scythe. She hated it, hated it all, but there was no choice. In war, there was no such thing as choice. She stealthily wove her way into the battlefield, hiding under shadows, holding her breath, trying not to make a mistake. It was agonizing. One small sound can do her in. One small slip could put her—and the rest of the Arc soldiers—in peril. Fight in the shadows, where your enemy won't notice you. It will only seem as if an Elendian has done it. They won't be found out.

Perfect—they wouldn't suspect a thing. It was sly, really.

She scoffed. Now she was starting to think like a demon, catching them by surprise like that. But everyone was caught by surprise when the war started a hundred years ago. The elders of her people spoke of times when young girls her age only had to worry about falling in love. Well, not anymore. Every day was just a battle to survive, and when survival was the only motivating force in life, then one would think desperately, irrationally, and immoraly.

_But there has to be another way._

"Oh, was it you who killed my friend?" a cheerful voice giggled. Serene felt her heart stop. She fell out of her hiding place, reeling behind her. Another Vampire licked at the blade of her scythe in anticipation.

"It looks like we didn't wipe you out after all. That's good." She nodded to herself. "That's _very_ good, because I miss killing Arcs. Well, so long!" She raised her weapon at Serene, who instinctively closed her eyes and braced for the impact.

Something wet spattered against her face. She dragged a knuckle across her cheek and looked at it. Blood. Surprised, she looked in front of her. Her leader stood before her, smiling at her in consolation. She smiled, then blanched.

_No!_ Serene's mind screamed for her when her voice betrayed her. _No!_ An enemy Witch had spotted them.

"_NO—!_" She finally found her voice, but it was too late, and the only thing she could do was fly away before the flames incinerated her too.

_It can't be! _It can't be! she thought frantically as she looked around her. The demons became aware of the sudden deaths of their comrades and the Arcs that were hiding among them. She had given them away. She had turned over the hunters to the prey.

In an instant, darkness masked her vision.

-o0o-

"The Arcs have come to help us!" The Elendian army found new strength at this revelation and furiously drove through the enemy ranks. The demons fought ferociously, killing any non-demon without hesitation. They saw that the Arcs were injured, and so the unfortunate race bore the bulk of the attacks, despite the renewed efforts of their allies.

"My resolve shall prevail!"

"I'll never miss!"

Fia and Lina have joined in, fighting fiercely in their own right, though with some difficulty, since they were fairly inexperienced in actual combat. Somehow, the Elendian villagers felt that this was against their King's will, but they cheered on.

Among the ranks fought an unknown soldier, who suddenly appeared and slew demon after demon with every stroke of his broadsword. He seemed to be rather clumsy, and there was something small and furry clinging desperately to his shoulder. But since fortune was mostly bereft on this merciless night, the villagers were saddened when they saw him fall and disappear into the battle scene.

What's this? The demons are…retreating! Yes! That seems to be it! The demons now numbered around a third or so of their original army.

Once the last of the demons was far out of sight, and once that they're sure that they won't come back, the relieved Elendians gladly opened the gates and poured out of the palace.

But the scene before them was not a happy one. It was doubtful that anyone could go back to their homes at this point. And their good friends, the Arcs, were all _dead_. They looked around them. Fia and Lina stood somewhere in the middle of the blood-stained field, trembling. Most of the Sprite soldiers were either dead or fatally wounded.

-o0o-

Serene woke to an immaculate brightness streaming into her vision. She found herself in a lovely white room. She sat up in her bed and looked around. The room was spotlessly clean and well kept. A door to an elegant balcony was open to let the sunlight pour in.

_I'm in…_ She turned over and swung her feet to the soft carpeted floor.

Someone rapped smartly at the door, and two girls walked in. Both looked concerned.

"Am I in…?" Serene began.

The girls smiled at her in welcome, and Serene realized that she was safe somewhere inside the Elendian Palace. But there was still something that bothered her to no end.

"Where are the others?" she asked excitedly.

The girls' smiles vanished, and they averted their eyes from her gaze. Serene felt something stop in her throat, and the room blurred.

-o0o-

Phew, glad that's over. Don't bother much about the lands and their layouts, especially since they're not coinciding with the actual map in the game.


	3. Don't Look Back

**Chapter III: Don't Look Back**

_He ran, making gasps as he felt his legs start to give way. Ahead of him was nothing but dark silhouettes of old trees and gnarled branches. The path itself held more obstacle than escape. Each stride found him stumbling over fallen branches and stones. He ran nonetheless, fearing that each labored breath could very well be his last. On his shoulder was his small friend, resigned to clinging to his shoulder for fear of their pursuers._

_Behind him was his mentor—a master swordsman and sage. He wore a light armor underneath a cream-colored cloak held in place with a thick belt. His face was rigid, and he ran in such full, even strides, that even his long cloak would not dare to become a hindrance._

"_Keep running! Don't look back!" the master called to his student._

"_But Master Idrah, what about—"_

"_Forget me!" Idrah responded hastily. His student silently complied. Moments later, they heard a loud, guttural roar._

"_That sounded like a Dragon! They—they found us!"_

"_Keep running!" Idrah repeated. His student found no reason to disobey until he heard Idrah's footsteps halt. He slowed to a stop to look behind him. Idrah was trying to pull something long and flat from his belt. The student saw that it was a sword, carefully wrapped in several pieces of cloth. He swallowed. What was his master planning to do?_

"_I told you to keep running!" Idrah reprimanded him._

"_But Master, not without you! Ah!" A loud roar interrupted him. Behind him a great Dragon glowered at them, clouds of smoke curling from its nostrils. He fell back in surprise. The Dragon roared once again, and this time it was loud and deafening enough to snap the branches off the trees._

"_Your time has come, demon!" Idrah ran forward with his broadsword raised high. The golden metal shone in the dark night as, in a flash, he brought it down upon the creature. The student watched his master sink the blade deep into the Dragon's skull, and watched the blood spill from the wound. The creature groaned and went still. Idrah pulled his magnificent sword out and heaved a sigh._

"_You fell for it." Before anyone could react they both found themselves encased in jagged ice up to their waists. From behind them a Mage stepped out, one hand holding an open book, the other, raised up in their direction._

"_Too bad. Even with your weapons, you can't possibly hit me when you can't even walk," the Mage jeered._

_Idrah narrowed his eyes and stated calmly, __"__Who said I needed to walk?" He fiercely chiseled through the ice with his sword until he fell to the ground with a thud. The Mage raised an eyebrow as Idrah tried to get up using his hands. He paled once a pair of jet-black wings emerged from under his cloak. Idrah smiled__._

"_You're right. I can't walk with my legs numbed down. _But I don't need to walk._" He flew to his student and broke him off the ice._

"_You—you still can't beat me!" the Mage cried furiously. He began chanting archaic verses from his tome. The strange words hovered eerily about them._

_Idrah's eyes widened.__ "__Ein! Get out of here! He's trying to summon the Undead!"_

"_You're half right," the demon sneered. Ein thought he heard something stirring behind him._

"_No…" Idrah blanched as he turned around. The massive draconic carcass started to burn in a purple fire until only searing bones were left. It was at this point that the great skull started to twitch, then its spine tensed a bit, until it managed to lift its skull up._

"_But that's impossible!" Idrah whispered shakily. "No demon has enough power to raise a Dragon!"_

"_With Lord Hades on our side." The Mage chuckled. "We can do anything. Oh, and don't even try to kill it, Knight and Knave. You can tell that this is no ordinary Undead."_

"_Ein, run while it's still slow! Don't look back!" Idrah shoved his sword at Ein. "Take this with you! And don't look back!"_

_The resurrected Dragon slowly lifted a skeletal claw, and its horrible mouth opened to let out an eerie, moaning cry._

"_But what about—"_

"_I'll distract them! Take that Diviner and _don't look back!_" Ein didn't have to be told twice._

_The macabre Undead tried to swipe at Idrah with its claw, but the Knight dodged it cleanly. The Dragon tried again, and even lunged with its head, but the he was too agile for it. Idrah darted about the stones, and once or twice passed through some trees, so that bits of the smoldering bone were caught in the branches. The Mage uttered a suppressed curse.__ "__You're lucky that I don't have enough strength left to cast another spell."_

"_What a waste then," a voice chuckled behind him. "Now _I_ have to be the one to do it."_

"_Argh!"_

_Idrah saw a dark figure flying above the dead Mage. A chill ran down his spine._

"_You!—" He never completed it. The Dragon loosened its pale, limping form from its massive claw onto the rough ground and stared back at the shadowed figure with a look of entreaty._

_The figure remained silent for a while, kicking Idrah over to his side, so that his vacant eyes stared up at the sky, and the blood pouring from his chest stained his clothes._

"_It looks like you let the sword get away." The Dragon let out a final mournful cry and fell apart into a smoldering pile. The figure chuckled and watched the still form of the Knight sprawled on the ground, his blood staining the earth._

"_No matter. There's always another time."_

-o0o-

The two girls had left earlier. Serene sat curled up on the soft bed, oblivious to everything around her.

In her mind's eye, every movement, sight, sound, smell, and feeling were all numbed. There was no comfort, no jeering, no cries, no pain, no happiness. There was only emptiness, a sickeningly hollow feeling that rendered everything as blank as her dark eyes.

There was nothing to live for. The Arcs have all been annihilated—so she's been told, and Elendia is safe…for now. But why bother? Soon everything will end, and she will be glad. Death will bring sublime peace, a permanent loss of consciousness—things she so desired now that there was no purpose to her living.

And Elendia… Elendia doesn't need her. Not after she had given her people away at the last battle. The hollowness turned to guilt. Serene finally felt a wrenching in her chest, buried her head in her arms, and cried.

-o0o-

"Hey, you awake?" a female voice asked him.

"Mmn. Y—yeah," he groaned in the darkness.

The voice paused. "Good!"

"_Aah!_" Ein immediately sat up at the stinging sensation evidently caused by the three diagonal scratch marks on his face. How they suddenly appeared was anyone's guess.

"What did you do that for, _Rose?_" Ein half-whimpered, half-demanded.

The small, furry form stretched itself by his pillow and stared up at him with her green eyes. "That's payback for you being so careless out there," she said simply.

"But, where _are_ we, anyway?" Ein looked about him. The room was simply furnished, and yet quietly elegant. The walls were woody and bland, and his gold broadsword leaned against it in sharp contrast, its runes intricately stretching over it in an archaic pattern.

"We're in Elendia, _duh_. Inside the palace," Rose retorted, gracefully jumping off the bed. "This is the place you wanted to go to, remember?"

Ein nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah."

"So…" Rose stalked across the smooth floor. "The battle's over. Elendia won, though the Arcs were annihilated. Looks like you failed to help them out."

Ein remembered. He had hoped to go to Elendia with the intention of stopping the Demons.

Rose was silent for a while, delicately narrowing her striking, green eyes. "We were too late."

"It's my fault," Ein said solemnly. "I was too careless, so I got knocked down before I could really help them."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore," Rose replied. "The Elendians decided to take you in. But," she gave him a dangerously piercing look, and growled, "you should have been more careful! I could have gotten hurt, y'know!"

Ein looked down. "Sorry."

They stopped once a knock sounded on the door. Ein hesitated, then, "C—come in."

"Good morning. I see you're awake." A gentle-looking girl with long green hair stepped in and smiled. She had a towel draped over her arm. "Anyway, I've come in here to redress your head wound."

"My wound?" Ein felt his forehead and realized that it was carefully bandaged, presumably by this girl.

"Yes. I saw you last night. You took a hit at the back of your head, but…" Ein though he saw a faint blush form on her demure face.

"I thought that was very…_brave_…of you." Her eyes widened, as if she had said something she shouldn't have, and her hand flew to her mouth. "I mean—what I mean to say is…hold—hold still." She carefully and somewhat methodically removed Ein's bandage and wiped away the accumulated blood with a moist towel. Ein sat very still, and Rose looked on with a sort of lazy fascination.

"There." She smoothed the knot over. "Done." She turned to leave. "Please get some rest. I'll come in to check on you later."

Ein smiled good-naturedly. "Thanks, uh…"

"Fia. My name's Fia." She turned to smile at him once more as she closed the door behind her.

"I think she likes you." Rose chuckled mischievously.

"That's crazy," Ein responded, feeling his bandage.

"Oh yeah? Well, I—" Rose never did get to finish that sentence, for when Fia had exited the room, Lina had learned of this stranger's awakening and insisted on barging in for a hearty morning welcome.

"Hi! I'm Lina!" greeted the archer as she pounced at Ein.

"Lina, _please!_ He's still wounded!" Fia protested as she pulled her friend away from the dazed Ein.

"Heheh, sorry." Lina blushed sheepishly as she got down. "So what's your name?"

"It's—it's Ein…" he said warily.

"Ein, what a beautiful name," Fia stated, and then mentally kicked herself for saying that out loud. "But, I apologize for my friend here," she said, casting a glance at Lina.

"Lina just wants to be friendly!" Lina countered with a raspberry.

"A—again, we apologize. _Don't we_, Lina?" Fia said with a quiet firmness in her voice as she hastily shoved Lina out the door and locked it behind them.

Rose stared back at Ein. "You were saying?"

"Come on, Rose," Ein said tiredly, and then adopted a more serious tone as his eyes fell on his broadsword. "We still have a lot to do."

-o0o-

The two girls walked down the hallway, Fia more slowly than her friend. She seemed focused on something however, and Lina decided that she had more than their new visitor in mind.

"Fia, are you okay?"

"Ah!" The concern in Lina's voice was unmistakable. Fia hastily withdrew from her thoughts.

"Are you okay?" Lina repeated. "You've been really quiet. Lina's worried."

Fia smiled back gently. "I'm sorry, Lina."

"But what's wrong?" Lina pressed.

Fia sighed. "Do you remember when I told you about that 'vision' I saw? The one about this Knight?"

"Lina remembers."

"That—that boy…" Fia tentatively played with her fingers. "His sword—and the way he fought with it—I thought that _maybe…_"

"Lina's scared."

"I'm sorry, Lina," Fia apologized. "Forget what I said. Right now, we're still under 'house arrest'." She briskly walked away.

"Hmph!" Lina stuck out her tongue to no one in particular. "Stupid punishment!"

"Well," Fia laughed, "We _did_ disobey Grandfather."

-o0o-

_Idrah sat silently by the tall windowsill, his golden locks waving softly about his face. Outside, the sun had cast a translucent glow over the entire forest, making them fade slightly. A light breeze had picked up, and the great trees gently billowed and frothed like lush green waves. Majestic clouds hung lazily overhead. A little below the tower where he sat, two Knights took advantage of the good weather to frolic about the ramparts._

"_You're not getting away so easily!" the strong, vibrant voice of Feuer called. He circled around a tower a few times, trying to catch the lithe Pura. Pura laughed gaily, and flew straight towards a nearby rampart to hide. Feuer had to encircle the tower a few times before realizing that his gentle friend was no longer there. Chagrined, he scanned his surroundings and flew away. Moments later, Pura came out, assuming that Feuer had given up, only to get tackled in midair from behind._

_Pura let out a surprised squeal before recognizing the triumphant laughter of her friend. Idrah smiled as Pura quietly bowed her head with a modest smile in an attempt to hide her blushing face. Feuer released her and took her hands in his, and both slowly flew to the ground._

"_Master Idrah?" The sage turned to look behind him._

"_What is it, Ledah?" Idrah pensively eyed the younger Knight. Ledah walked over to the window and looked out, never once changing his expression._

"_They look like a good couple, don't they?" Idrah said, breaking the silence._

"_Mm." Ledah nodded, focusing his red eyes on his superior. "Despite…"_

"_Yes?" Idrah eyed him intently._

"_Despite what has happened," Ledah finished hesitantly._

_Idrah stood up, spreading his wings as he did so. "You're right." He stared into the distance and sighed. "What I wouldn't give to have that kind of innocence." He flew out._

_Ledah stared after him, his eyes, lusterless, his mouth, in a firm line. He closed his eyes and turned away from the window. He leaned his back against the window frame, folded his arms, and sighed._

-o0o-

Serene heard more than felt the echoing clods of her shoes against the parquet. She had half a mind to search the palace inside and out, in the futile hopes that maybe, _just maybe_, an Arc had survived. That maybe she wasn't the last of her race.

_The last of the Arcs…_

She shuddered at that finality. She could still hear it. An echoing cry of a handful—a _mere_ handful—of winged warriors, slowly beaten back and…annihilated. The screams of pain. The listless look of one with a spear impaled in his chest. A momentary groan before a hand fell from a bush, lying limply on the ground with the body it was connected to hidden behind blood-speckled leaves. The wild laughter of a demon with bloodlust as he hacked through an Arc. The incinerated form that was once their leader.

The corridors became hazy. Serene felt her whole body rock at some form of pressure on her head. She tried to run, her uneven footsteps clumsy and loud. Her felt herself sinking. Tears left darkened spots on the floor. Her throat ached with suppressed remorse.

"Hey! Are you all right?" That voice seemed so distant and unfamiliar. She fell to her knees, her whole body trembling as she sobbed. Two steady hands held her shoulders up, something soft brushed against her leg, and she looked up to see the concerned face of a boy between tears.

The boy's face darkened to once of understanding, and he allowed Serene his quiet company on the empty hallway.

-o0o-

As if awakened by some furtive memory, he took up the hazy image, focusing it under the sunlight breaking though the forest canopy. It remained blurred for a time, until he could only make out wriggling images. But of what? He wasn't entirely sure. It glowed, like his Diviner, with a firm strength and quiet intensity. It turned this way and that, and then, a grainy mask of black feathers.

He watched the leaves dance to the wind, oblivious of their present location, and utterly ignorant of the horrors which its evenings had evoked. To speak of horror, only the wind broke the eerie morning stillness. Even as a Knight, despite being sheltered for many years after serving in the Ragnarok, the unusual calm unnerved him still.

At present, his two youthful companions had ceased all thoughts of play—wary of the lifeless wood. No birds sang, no small animal squeaked, not even the small insects that had dominion over forests would dare reside here. How those two had plucked up the courage to venture into these parts was as mysterious as the woods themselves.

Although…it had been an asset in the past.

-o0o-

"Who _are_ you, anyway?" Serene quickly rubbed away the last of her tears. She kept her face rigid as she eyed the stranger before her with suspicion.

"I'm Ein," he replied disarmingly, not at all minding her wary expression. "And this"—he gestured to the creature by his leg—"is Rose."

"The name's Serene," Serene replied, a smile forming on her previously hardened expression. "And, thanks for the…you know." She made a face.

"Yeah." Ein nodded, stood up, and held out his hand to her. Serene smiled and allowed him to help her to her feet. It was then that Ein caught a black flash behind her.

"Are you?" Ein blinked incredulously. "Are you an Arc?"

"The last one, so I've been told," Serene answered gravely.

"No." Ein shook his head and backed away, trying to shake the thought away from him. "Then we—we really _were_ too late!" He turned and ran down the hallway.

"Ein! Wait up!" Rose unfolded her wings and took off after him.

Serene stood alone, surprised as she watched them go. She held her fist to her chest, a faint smile forming at the corner of her mouth.

-o0o-

_It can't be! That shouldn't have happened! Why?_

"Ah!" Ein stopped abruptly as he found himself on the floor, the pony-tailed girl from earlier lying down next to him. He immediately sprang to his feet and helped her up.

"Ouchie," Lina groaned.

"S—sorry!" Ein blushed. "I didn't look where I was going."

"It's all right! Lina forgives you! Hey," she pouted thoughtfully, then took a deep breath and cheerfully asked, "Why are you running?"

"I have to see the King. Do you know where he is?"

"Lina knows!" With what seemed like the strength of an entire Elendian army, Lina took him by the arm and virtually yanked him off his feet as she sped down the corridor.

"Hey! Whoa!"

From the other end of the hallway, Rose flew in tiredly and alighted on the floor. She turned her head this way and that before concluding that her companion was too fast for her to keep up.

"He's gonna get it now!" Rose got up and sped ahead with conviction.

-o0o-

Ein, you could say, was having something of a problem when he found himself yanked from where he was standing by a seemingly sweet and frail girl. He watched the bright windows and the cream walls blend into streaks as their momentum increased.

"We're here!" Lina said energetically as she let go of Ein's arm. She pointed to a set of twin doors standing ominously before them. Ein, in the meantime, made a mental note to himself to never underestimate girls.

And speaking of girls…

"Ein!" Rose screeched as she flew in. "What's the big idea, leaving me like that?"

"What's that noise? Oh!—" The heavy doors opened slightly, and Fia appeared.

"What's going on?" Serene asked as she entered the scene.

"I would like to know as well," Ladie said sternly as she came from behind Fia.

-o0o-

"A sword?" Graham stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"I know it sounds crazy," Ein said. "But you have to believe me. My master was no ordinary swordsman. And his sword was no ordinary one."

"I'm sorry, but we do not know of any other weapon that bears these strange runes."

"But you could help. Doesn't your kingdom have the best scholars around?"

Graham sighed sadly. "I'm afraid we have never heard of any of these weapons. But it seems that it has been useless, in the end. The Arcs were still…"

"I know, Your Highness. I know."

"Strange." Fia looked thoughtful. "A sword that powerful—we would surely have heard of it."

"Up until now, my master's secret was never revealed to anyone else. I wanted to fulfill my master's wishes. He's still alive, somewhere." Ein traced the runes with his finger.

"But," Fia ventured, "are you sure there are others like this? I mean, at least we would have heard about _them__?_"

"Yeah," Ein nodded. "My master kept a lot of things from me, but he _did_ tell me that there were more of these. I don't think he'd lie to me."

"Grandfather," Fia took a deep breath, "I would like to accompany him in search of these weapons."

"Lina wants to join, too!" Lina piped up.

"Count me in." Serene winked.

"Enough," Graham interrupted. "Fia, Lina, you both are still being punished. But," he turned to Ein, "I will support you in searching for them. They may be our last hope."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Ein bowed and walked away, with Rose flying after him.

"Hey Ein," Rose said once the doors closed behind them.

"Yeah?"

"I thought you didn't want to tell anyone about that 'Diviner'. Didn't you tell me once that you didn't want to let anyone in on our secret?"

"I know," Ein replied. "But, if we're ever going to have a future, we've got to stop looking back. A lot of these things wouldn't have happened if we only used what we knew to stop them. Then maybe that Arc girl, Serene, those Elendian soldiers, and everyone else on Riviera, wouldn't have to suffer. I'm sure that's what Master Idrah would have wanted."

-o0o-

_Moonlight poured into the window, casting a pallid glow over Ledah's crimson form. A line of yellow light streaked along the floor, stretching as it reached the wall. Idrah opened the door wider until the room was illuminated with the soft halo of his candlelight._

"_Ledah, why are you still here?"_

_Ledah stared up vaguely._

"_You know…" Idrah held his hand up to the light. "Despite what has happened—are you still thinking about our couple?"_

_Ledah didn't reply._

"_They put everything behind them."_

_Ledah nodded slowly. "To become ignorant, you mean."_

"_Not at all." Idrah turned to exit. "Not at all. Theirs is an innocence that comes with determination. They looked ahead with no regrets, and it's about time you do too."_

-o0o-

Will you look at that? Fluffy semi-love scenes! I never expected to write those, it just happened, I Anyways, there's no need to worry about OC's, since they will only serve to explain the origins of things. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other fantasy RPG's to button-mash with. Till the next update!


	4. History

Hah…I would have uploaded this sooner if not for the annoying glitch going on.X(

More gloom and doom after the last chapter's lightheartedness. Enjoy.

**Chapter IV: History**

True, in times past there have been numerous attempts at finding power. But what is power that it would not be abused? Under the circumstances, no one was willing enough to find out. Power was, and always will be, a force that is capable of being abused. Cowards seek power to hide themselves. Weaklings seek power to protect themselves. And yet many more seek power merely to raise themselves above others. In this time of turmoil no one would wish for more power to be abused.

No, power is nothing that the people would want now. What they want is peace—a suppression, or better yet, a _lack_ of power.

But power, if used in the right way, could ultimately be the undoing of evil. So now the only problem lies in using it without any negative consequences. For in all things there must be equilibrium. Balance. Something in exchange for another. In order for something to be gone, something of equal value must cancel it out.

Here, in the ruins of Tetyth, a great city crumbled into ruin because, so it has been told, it had _power_. Claude, a scholar who traveled far from Elendia, had been intrigued by this city's history. The aged walls, the fragile artifacts, the old fountain in the center that still spewed spring water from underground through some fascinating plumbing on the part of the ancients, the wild undergrowth that defied the odds and lived in peace, the mossy Flaybell Cathedral, and most of all, the great Flaybell Library, a massive structure built into the cathedral. It had housed many ancient tomes and scrolls, each one carefully intact and simply brimming with knowledge. It was enough to excite the typical zealous scholar.

But there was another reason, he had found out. In the lifeless library there were texts referring to an ancient power, but when he had gone out of his way to comb the vicinity of the library, there were no other texts to confirm what little he had read. And yet, the hint was there. Here was a chance for power, hidden in the massive archive that the ruins were known for. This could be the key to stopping that monster in Parveeju.

He delved into history books, hoping that they could explain things further. There must be _something_. A date, a sentence—_anything!_ There _must_ be a reason why things are the way they are now.

The grandparents of their generation had spoken of times of peace, when war was unheard of. Not to disrespect the elders, but he thought otherwise. These texts were older than they, and there are hints and references to a war before the time of peace. But mere hints were not what he needed. What information he had was inconclusive—was too _obscure_—for him to completely discern anything that could be of help. He had pored over the history books numerous times, but all had yielded the same result: a war before this war. And a great darkness sealed away.

But everything was too vague. There was no evidence of any war before their time, and the elders themselves were firsthand witnesses of that. Yet it was possible that they were wrong, because, somewhere, _somehow_, there had to be an origin. Things don't suddenly appear out of thin air and then create genocides at the drop of a hat.

But what was so perplexing about the whole thing was the fact that the elders and the books had never, _never_ told of the origin of Riviera. There were stories—countless achievements of various scholars, inventors, and explorers. What was strange was that there were no records found _anywhere_ that had even gave a clue about the creation history of the world.

Claude sighed, and closed the book. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. He replaced it on a dusty shelf and scanned for another to read—not that it would help. He decided he was better off in Elendia. Goodness knows, he had already been away for three months. Three months in this lifeless place with no contact to the outside world. It would be good to return home.

He sauntered over to the exit and into a spacious courtyard. The sun streaked down on the old moss, and the broken water fountain that nourished them glistened with life and promise, running its course no matter how mundane the process might be.

What, he wondered, if they just gave in? The fountain had lasted longer than the city itself. Maybe neutrality can cancel power as well? Dare he come home and propose pliancy to his wearied motherland?

The water eroded it bit by bit.

Perhaps if they, like the water, gradually and persistently rebelled?

But the fountain withheld the water.

Claude sighed. This was no good. He strolled about the courtyard, tentatively deciding to enjoy the sun-streaked ruins before his departure on the next day. This could be his last chance to see the sun.

-o0o-

_Valdes, who had been poring over books and scrolls since time immemorial, raised his eyes just a quarter of an inch upward and pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose as he stared at the sudden intruder to the Torigan Library._

_Dias, the amiable leader of their small regiment, had taken it upon himself to escort the young scholar away from the library and into the vast world that Valdes had yet to know as "outside". He eyed the younger Knight with a smile as he motioned for them to leave the room. Valdes closed his eyes and sighed to himself, reluctantly closing his latest volume. He stood from his chair, pushed his glasses up once more, and followed Dias out the door._

_Lately, Kirie had expressed concern for her over-diligent student, and had confided it to Dias, who was the closest thing to a paternal figure, if not a brotherly one, to Valdes. Dias had agreed almost instantly, taking it as a challenge to his leadership abilities. "A good leader has to improve morale," he had said. Kirie had then smiled and shaken her head. The Gray Knight had his ways, however strange they might be._

"_You've been imprisoned in that library for far too long. You need some fresh air."_

_Valdes was incredulous, and mildly expressed his disapproval by an adjustment of his glasses. Dias ignored him, even though he was perfectly capable of translating the scholar's eyeglass corrections._

"_But as a Knight it is our duty to keep the information that we have guarded, and I am merely reviewing our texts." Valdes concluded this sentence with a finger on the bridge of his spectacles._

"_Tell me," Dias began as they stopped at the front doors, "what is important about reviewing old documents anyway?"_

_Valdes stared back at his leader and made a face, once again readjusting his glasses in the process. "You know very well, Dias. The only way to keep history from repeating itself is to study it. What is the use of so much knowledge, if it is not shared with anyone else?"_

_Dias already knew the answer to his own question, and simply nodded in amusement at the almost childlike demeanor that Valdes had taken. He smiled and pushed the doors wide open. The sunlight quickly made itself an enemy to Valdes, who blinked several times from the bright morning glare until he could see properly again._

_Valdes had only seen this once, when they had first taken residence here, but that had been a couple of years ago, and he hadn't come out since then. The dull black walls, standing higher than most trees, towered lazily into their vision. The old stone pathway was just as he remembered it, a wide strip of gray sporadically fringed with stray dandelions. The gates looked slightly worn, but the delicate angels that stood atop the gateposts gleamed in polished splendor under the sun. Mossy rocks sat scattered around the bare courtyard, old rubble that was left over after the damage of war. Trees that were tall enough overshadowed the walls, but otherwise there was no plant life anywhere within the castle._

_When Valdes did nothing but push up his glasses again, Dias decided to speak so as to break the rather awkward silence._

"_Remember when this used to be an enemy fortress?" he asked. Valdes nodded, but said nothing._

"_Who'd have thought that this would become our home," Dias continued, taking on a more solemn tone. "This courtyard was the very place…"_

"_Indeed," Valdes said. "This was the place where the demons had slaughtered the Sprite inhabitants of this castle." He stared up at the trees wistfully, watching the leaves sway to a slight light wind. "Another mistake that history has made."_

-o0o-

Cierra took it all in: the gray rubble, the gray pillars, the gray floors with moss peeking out from the cracks, the gray walls, and what looked like a lovely gray fountain that was still working, the brown water bubbling coolly along with the night air. Most intriguing. She clapped her hands in delight, certain that this was her destination, and proceeded to a nearby gray building.

She was ecstatic upon seeing the vast library, with the books and scrolls tucked into ailing shelves, the lusterless brass instruments on the dusty wooden desks, and the stark lack of candles to light the room with the exception of the still halo coming from behind some shelves. She tilted her head to one side, violet eyes growing larger in wonder. She adjusted her conical hat and ambled over to the source of light.

Behind some shelves she could see a young man, presumably a Dryad because of his leafy head, leaning against a bookshelf with his eyes closed and a rather large volume open on his lap. Beside him were several books scattered haphazardly on the floor, and on a more stable pile of tomes sat a small candlestick inside a glass sphere with a hole at the top. Cierra marveled at the practicality of the design, the fire contained so that it couldn't touch the books, but left with enough air so that it could continue to thrive. She smiled inwardly at this, glad that she had learned something practical before she even read anything.

"Mmph…" The small sound startled her. She shifted her gaze from the candle and peered at the stranger's face. His calm expression stirred slightly before he opened his eyes. Cierra let out a suppressed yelp and backed away, eventually losing her balance. Claude (for who else could it be?) blinked a few times before realizing what had happened and immediately threw up his arms to catch her.

"Oh my, I'm so sorry!" Cierra blushed, smiling at him sheepishly.

"What are you doing here?" was all a dazed Claude could say.

"Well, um," Cierra eased away from his hold and sat cross-legged in front of him, "I came here to study magic you see, and the glass ball…"

"What—what time is it?" Claude wasn't exactly listening. "Have—have I slept too long?"

"Huh?" Cierra stared back at him as he hastily got up, brushed himself, and ran out of the room. Barely a few seconds later he came back, looking more stressed than ever. He began collecting his books and documents, oblivious to the girl in front of him.

"Is there something wrong?" Cierra ventured, wondering if Claude would actually reply.

"I—I have to get ready! It's nightfall already?" Cierra patiently waited for him to say something else.

"Elendia—Elendia! Oh no! I haven't found anything!"

"_Wait!_" Cierra cut in sharply. Claude stopped.

She cleared her throat and stood up. "Calm down," she said softly. "Now, do you need any help?"

-o0o-

"You'll have to forgive me," Claude said as they both sat on the outside steps leading to the library entrance. "I have been feeling a bit stressed lately."

Cierra smiled apologetically. "No problem, and if anything, I'm sorry I woke you up." She looked at the lamp between them, and traced a finger along the rim. "I guess I should have asked first. When I came here I though I was going to find books and old astrolabes. There was just something about the design of this…" Her face formed into a thoughtful pout. "That's the incredible thing about it. The fire. You contained it. But, it was…"

"Practical?" Claude offered.

"No, no." Cierra shook her head. "The fire was contained, but you could still use it."

Claude laughed softly. "Not to be rude, but why is it so important?"

Cierra continued to smile, but she narrowed her eyes slightly. "I'm a witch, and I specialize in fire magic. I came here because I thought I could find something that would help me control fire." She sighed. "I want to use my magic to help others, and it's no good if I only end up burning everything in sight. I _want _to use my magic, but to control it, it seems I have to stop using it altogether, or else it would be useless. And, I thought that lamp…"

"Could be the answer?" Claude finished. Then a thought stuck him. His eyes widened, and for a moment it seemed like everything had stilled.

"Claude? Is there something wrong?" Cierra stared at him quizzically.

"_Eureka_," Claude whispered.

"What?" Cierra was getting concerned.

"_Eureka!_ A containment!" Claude grabbed Cierra's hands and danced. Cierra, though stunned at first, merely giggled at this sudden antic.

"That's it!" Claude cried happily. "Now I know what to look for!"

"I'm glad for you!" Cierra managed. "But I'm getting dizzy!"

Claude eventually stopped, and the two sat down on the ground and laughed heartily. After a few minutes, Claude managed to compose himself.

"And now I only need one more day to look, and Elendia just might be saved."

"It was all thanks to your lamp!" Cierra added.

"We can look together," Claude suggested. "Since we both seek a proper mode of suppression."

Cierra clapped her hands in agreement. "Yes! Let's! But now, since it's not bedtime yet," she looked up at the stars, "You know, it's amazing. These ruins used to be filled with life, but now, only that fountain is still working. Isn't that strange?"

"More than a hundred years, in fact," Claude agreed. "But it's amazing how it can still work after all this time. Cierra, what are you doing?"

In the middle of his sentence Cierra had walked up to the fountain and peered at the moving water. Claude blinked, then stood up and went to her.

"Oh, look!" Cierra stared down at the water. "It's so lively!"

Claude sighed, and rested an arm on the outer rim of the fountain.

"Ah!" Claude felt his arm sink lower, and he realized that he had rested his arm on a rather loose stone.

"Oh, wow!" Cierra beamed excitedly and pointed behind him. Claude turned around and saw a square hole in the grass a few feet behind. He looked stunned. "That wasn't there before."

"I wonder where it leads." Cierra peered into the hole. "There's a staircase." She narrowed her eyes in thought. "I wonder if there's another library in here—ah!" She turned to Claude. "Didn't you tell me a while ago that there was missing information when you searched the library?"

Claude nodded. "So, you're saying that they could be…down there?"

"Yes." Cierra left him and came back moments later with a staff in hand.

-o0o-

"Are you sure that thing is safe?" Claude asked uneasily as he stared at the staff Cierra was carrying. The ruby-colored stone set onto the staff was flaming by Cierra's magic. Even though it and Claude's lamp provided them both with ample lighting inside the musty underground tunnel, initial knowledge of Cierra's skill in fire magic had left him a bit anxious.

Hoping to take his mind off of what might happen if Cierra lost control of the fire on her staff, Claude decided to look around. With any luck, the sight of wooden beams supporting the unstable earthen ceiling and the possible assault of any hostile entities would keep his mind occupied.

"_Awoo…_"

The low sound caused them to stop, and for once Cierra regretted ever coming down there.

"What was that?" she whispered, her mind brimming with frightful thoughts. The flame on her staff vanished, as if gust of wind blew it out.

"It sounded like…a howl, maybe?" Claude wasn't so sure of it either.

Cierra's eyes widened in fear. "I think I know." She gripped his sleeve. " That sounds like a hound…a demonic one."

"A demon?" Claude searched her face. It looked so strange to see her so afraid, even if he had only just met her.

"Everything ready?" a series of soft voices echoed through the tunnel. Cierra willed her staff to cease burning.

"_Let's get out of here._" Cierra looked at him pleadingly. Claude merely wrinkled his eyebrows in concentration.

"We will, but I want to know what's going on." _Where is it coming from?_

"Our scouts say that Elendia is weak from the last attack."

"Are you sure we can take 'em out this time?"

"Yeah, yeah! Rand's right! The last time wasn't so great, y'know."

"Rand! Lowe! When I say we can attack, then we _will_ attack! Do I make myself clear?"

"Su—sure, Danos. Just calm down."

"So what's the plan?" Rand asked.

A shuffling of papers, then: "See this? It's a map of a series of underground tunnels that were dug during the time of the Ragnarok."

_Ragnarok? _Claude thought. _What's that?_

"These were used to lead the Sprites away from the battlefield and into Castle Ataraxia," Danos continued.

"You mean, Castle Torigan?" Lowe queried.

"That was the later name given by those Knights when they took over, or so I heard," Danos clarified.

"Heheheh, boy, I remember the story. They thought they were going to their safety, but it turns out our ancestors beat 'em to it and massacred the Sprites," Rand added.

"Well, our regiment is going to use the tunnel to our advantage. I've scoured some old maps in the library and I found out something very interesting." Danos chuckled menacingly. "Read. What does it say?"

"The palace!" Lowe breathed.

A growl interrupted them. Claude and Cierra tensed as they heard Danos speak. "What is it, Leid?" Danos paused, then: "Rand! Lowe! Intruders!"

At once heavy footsteps echoed through the tunnel. Claude immediately blew out his candle, grabbed Cierra by the arm, and hastily ran up the staircase. A monstrous growl followed them, accompanied by the mocking footsteps of the demons. Once the two of them made it out, Claude dropped his lamp, flung himself at the fountain, and pulled at the stone. The trapdoor closed instantly.

"Come with me!" Claude whispered to his companion and led her away. They had not gone far when they heard the trapdoor open, along with a wild growl and a few shouts of "get them!" Neither dared to look behind them.

"Where—where are we going?" Cierra asked frantically as Claude led her into the library.

"The Flaybell Library is quite similar to a labyrinth," Claude panted. "We can lose them in there." A loud crash followed, and they both stopped and looked behind them long enough to know that the demons had resorted to knocking down the weak shelves.

"There they are! Don't let them get away!" one of the demons ordered.

Claude and Cierra ran around shelves, trying to lose them by jumping over desks and rounding the larger shelves, and finally made it to a dark corner.

"Ah! Made a wrong turn!" Claude gasped.

"Maybe not." Cierra tried to sound calm as she said this. She took on a more serious appearance and raised her staff at the wall.

"Stand back!" she instructed him. Claude obeyed, and watched as Cierra's staff glowed a fiery red. She raised her staff and swung it in a vertical arc. At the same time the wall before them exploded. Claude recoiled from the blast, but was grateful that it had forced the stones outward, leaving an opening big enough for them to escape.

"What was _that?_" Rand yelped.

The duo wasted no time in rushing out of the opening and into a nearby forest. They didn't stop, even when at one point or another, someone nearly tripped. It was already dawn by the time they reached a flowing river, and by then they realized that the demons had given up the chase.

Cierra dropped to her knees in exhaustion.

Claude himself was feeling tired as well, but he urged her up. "We have to go to Elendia and warn them." Cierra was visibly worn out, but nodded determinedly and stood up.

The sun lighted the path for them. But even in the warm, welcoming rays neither could find peace, only an urge. The determination to impart knowledge before it's too late. There was no time to ponder for answers, nor time to seek them out. The ruins of Tetyth, now far behind them, shimmered in the morning sun, a testament to lives cursed to see history repeat itself.

-o0o-

The demons return to their base, grumbling about their loss, but confident that, history, the _untold_ history, will never be known to their prey. Power and knowledge go hand in hand, and the Sprites possess neither.

-o0o-

_Castle Torigan stood silently, looming over a forbidden forest—its barren ruin a testament to misfortunes seen in times both past and present. It was carved by a gentle race who believed in tranquility. It has twice offered itself as a sanctuary, to a race that longed for peace, and to a race that sought to ensure it. And twice it has failed._

_Dias had already left Valdes alone to connect with the outside world, and the latter had surprisingly decided to stay. He cast sleepy glances in all directions, but mentally, he was aware and alert. A soldier must never let his guard down, especially if he guards power._

"_Valdes." Dias, Ezra, Feuer, and Gelt emerged from the doorway. " Vann and Pura have returned. We are going to Tetyth."_

Tetyth... _A great city teeming with knowledge and history. It had grown into a heavily populated, rich and powerful metropolis. Valdes smirked, fully aware of what they were planning, but not caring in the least._

"_They refuse to destroy any evidence of the war," Dias continued, his face solemn. "We have no choice but to wipe out any evidence of the Ragnarok, and possibly the Tetythians as well."_

"_I am ready," Valdes smiled coolly to himself. _In order to keep the world safe from power, a few must be sacrificed. That is the history of Riviera.

_It was already late afternoon when they left. The sun slowly sank into the horizon, knowing well what would happen when it shone again._

-o0o-

I noticed there has been a bit of a Claude x Cierra thing going on, and while I fully support this obscure pairing, no, there will be no romance between them. After all, _they just met._ Well, thanks to **Hrover** for thinking up the "Procrastinators Anonymous" topic on my forum, _**Riviera Fanfiction**_. It was a big help in getting my lazy self back to

Random stuff:

1. The ruins were loosely based on the Mindas Ruins, a land featured in the _Legend of Mana_ videogame, not the actual Tetythian ruins. Um, it just came out that way.:D

2. "_Ataraxia_" is a Greek term for tranquility.


	5. Light and Dark

Yes, you read the summary right. This story is _Ledah_-centric, which means, Ein won't always save the day and the girls won't always give him all the attention. Seriously, I thought Ein was quite an overrated character in the game.

Many thanks to all who reviewed before, and I truly hope you enjoy this chapter. I've been itching to write this chapter since the story was first conceived, and I hope the battle scene will satisfy. Well, it _must_ be, since I wrote all that while listening to (often) eerie-sounding music to suit the mood. Yay, _Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle_!X3

I wonder though, if Cierra's spell casting is scientifically accurate…

**Chapter V: Light and Dark**

Threads of light traced downwards from the sky, hot and white. Claude stared out the window with some fascination, the corners of his mouth just beginning to form a smile. In light of the recent proceedings, he felt some sort of solace from watching a meteor shower. He sighed, knowing full well that no lasting joy could come out of bearing witness to so rare an event, if it only heralded the coming of their demise.

King Graham had heard it all, his face becoming more pallid than was healthy. It was no use, he had said. Their surviving soldiers were few and injured. It was only a matter of time now.

Claude pressed his palms onto his ancient wooden desk, as if pushing it down would relieve some of his worry.

King Graham had said that he knew about those underground tunnels, but there was only one entrance to it, and now the Demons were probably making their way underground.

His hands tightened into fists, still pressed to the table.

Was there really no way out?

They could probably seal the door. Push something large and heavy against it. Most likely only a handful of demons would be coming that way, to inflict terror and drive them out, or to open the palace gates. The real threat was the one beyond their borders and advancing.

Maybe if they took them hostage?

Civilians and injured soldiers weren't very formidable, even for a handful of intruders.

"_I can beat them. When the tunnels are cleared, we can use them to escape." _It was the strange boy who spoke. The one with the large jagged sword etched in runes. He glanced over to the weapon across his desk. It gleamed quietly, emitting a strange aura. The king had sent the sword to him for study. _See if you can find the others._

His hand felt limp from applying too much force on an inanimate object, yet he laid it very carefully and somewhat lovingly on the hilt of the blade, running a finger over the runes. They were nothing like he'd ever seen before, and it intrigued him a great deal.

It was his only hope, after all—unless the girls who had joined that Ein boy could hold off an entire army. He contemplated their names pensively, wondering what had gotten into them the moment Ein spoke.

He had to admit that Ein _did_ possess some charisma, though whether or not it came from his sword was another matter entirely.

_Those runes—where did you get this?_

_From my master._

_Your master?_

_Yeah, but I don't know how he got it. He told me that he'd always owned it._

_What was he like?_

_He—he was…_different.

_How so?_

_He had…wings._

_Like an Arc?_

_No, no. They're black, all right, but bigger. Stronger. Feathery. Like an angel's._

Great mysteries dropped on him since the time he was born. They were what inspired him to learn and study. He enjoyed watching them unravel before his eyes, while he scrutinized every detail. It was like a loom working in reverse—delicate silk strands loosening themselves from a beautiful piece of cloth, warp thread skeletons appearing as the shuttle moved in reverse. Every nuance of color came out small, but they were part of something great. The foundations of everything in existence depended on the tiniest detail.

The sword gleamed, snapping him out of his reverie. He smiled at it, smiled at the mysteries that he was tasked to solve, even if they were to be his last.

He massaged his knuckles, rubbed at them, and eagerly set to work.

-o0o-

Serene stayed vigilant, being somewhat nocturnal. She had resolved not to let Elendia suffer the same fate as her people, even if the others had tried to persuade her to rest. The night air was nippy, but she didn't mind it. She never knew a time when the wind only blew care-freely, playing with wings and hair. She was born in a time of turmoil, and tended to associate everything with the pessimistic reality of life. By now she had gotten used to that, fear and all. Her people were brave, and chose to die fighting, even if they knew they were going to lose everything, in the end.

Perhaps that was the only reason why she let herself live.

_Huh?_ She saw thin streaks of light coming down from far away, as if born of the night itself.

-o0o-

Prayers were futile. The words hovered remotely in Fia's mind as she knelt before her bed, hands clasped in fervent anticipation.

A miracle. That was what she was asking for. _Please gods, send us something. A sign, anything! Just don't let this be the end._

Fia wondered if they were really listening. Everything was so silent, so _eerie_. Were they listening?

A tear glided down the slope of her cheek. Outside, stars fell down, leaving thin trails reminiscent of gilded lyre strings.

-o0o-

"Huh?" Lina stared up at the vast expanse of sky. From her perch on a large window, she could make out the thin glowing lines cutting across the horizon. Spellbound, she continued watch it, smiling happily to herself.

The awe that came with the meteor shower brought up a comforting revelation. If she could see them, even though they were far away, then chances are, Gill and Molan would see them too.

Her soft, happy expression darkened slightly. She shivered, her mouth curving downwards with concern. She then pouted and stood up, glowering at the distance before her.

"Lina won't give up!"

-o0o-

"Even magic can't answer this," Cierra whispered, flipping over the pages of a book. The palace library was still and silent, but not at all eerie. She felt a certain peace from reading.

Another book was pulled from the shelf, and Cierra coughed from the dust. Before she could read it, the wind blew in and extinguished her candle. She pursed her lips in disappointment, and turned around, hoping to get some moonlight for her perusal.

"Even magic can't explain this," she repeated to herself, watching the rain of light from the window.

"Because magic didn't cause it."

-o0o-

"They're beautiful, aren't they?" Rose shot him a meaningful glance, expecting a reply.

"Mm." Ein took a drink from a nearby flask of water. "I'm going to get my sword back now. It's almost time."

"Yeah." Rose flew to his shoulder, delicately alighting by his neck. "I guess meteor showers aren't as fun to watch when you're busy preparing for a battle."

"They're too fleeting, anyway," Ein added gravely. "Maybe it's just as well."

-o0o-

It was well into the night, the blackest there was since the time of the Storm. Ein, Rose, Fia, Lina, Serene, and Cierra were all standing in front of the tunnel entrance. They all bore the same determined expression. Breaths were withheld as the lock clicked open.

Standing at attention at the palace gates were the handful of soldiers who, despite being injured, could still fight. The civilians, on the other hand, were herded off into the palace. Ladie watched the advancing troops from the highest turret in the palace, almost hearing the _thump-thump_ of paws, feet, and boots. She flew out of the window and alighted before the palace entrance, facing the guards.

"They're coming! Hold them off for as long as you can!" she cried, drawing her spear.

"For Riviera!"

-o0o-

"Lina's scared." The aforementioned member of their party shivered, orange eyes anxiously scanning the dank passageway.

"This isn't like the last time," Fia mumbled. "Something's not right."

Ein stopped and looked behind him. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure," Fia answered quietly. " If there were enemies lurking about this place, then shouldn't we have heard them coming by now? Unless…"

Realization rushed through them like a wave of cold water.

"_Aah!_"

"Cierra!"

_Shoot!_ Several things happened at once. Ein had turned around to face the sound when a sudden impact forced the torch from his hand. The light flickered a moment to reveal Cierra restrained by a demon, and several silhouettes came into view before it was completely gone. Serene's outraged cry came next, and then Lina and Fia's terrified shrieks.

"_Ein!_" Rose jarred him into concentration. He closed his eyes, listened for a sound.

A hum like the tinkling of bells rang softly, a calming green light emanated from something in Fia's hand as she held it up in prayer. Ein had by then found himself holding the demon attacking Cierra by the throat. He gave him a swift kick in the loins and pulled Cierra back. Another second more, and the demon found his head lopped off.

"Hah!" Cierra swung her staff in an arc, and fire rose from the ground in a semicircle. At the same time she could hear someone chanting, and ice jutted out from where the fire was. A Demi-human hacked it off and aimed for her, but Serene quickly beheaded him. Lina ran around the jagged fence and shot an arrow at the Mage who had cast the spell earlier. Ein stayed by Fia's side, trying to fight off the approaching enemies.

"There's too many of them!" Serene cried. "We can't hold them off much longer!"

"Evil ones, be gone!" Fia cried suddenly. She opened her eyes and thrust her hand forward. "_Banishment!_"

Emerald light engulfed the area, and all the demons within their vicinity found themselves fading away. The light vanished as quickly as it came.

"I think they're gone," Cierra said as she illuminated the cavern with her staff.

"Why didn't you do that earlier?" demanded an agitated Serene, still anxious from the battle.

"But I didn't even know I could do it," Fia replied sheepishly. "I was just praying and—"

"We'll worry about that later," interrupted Ein, relighting his torch with Cierra's staff and handing it to her. "Cierra, Lina, Serene, come with me. Fia, you go back and get the Elendians to come in."

"B—but, wait! What if there are more demons than you can handle there? Nelde was forbidden for a reason!" Fia protested.

"Don't worry, we can handle it." They trekked further until even the glimmer of fire was gone.

-o0o-

"Everyone! Through here!" Fia called out as she raced to the hall, where the others were gathered. "Form a line, the young and elderly first. I'll alert Ladie." She ran outside.

_She has changed_, Graham thought as he was ushered to the tunnel. _The war has made her stronger._

"Everything will be fine, dear," said a mother to her child. "We'll make it in one piece. You'll see."

"Elendia will live," Graham said suddenly, forgetting his usual pessimism. "We will live to see a better future."

-o0o-

"Yah!" Ladie thrust her spear into the chest of a demon, kicked him off, then drove the blunt end behind her, inciting a groan from the demon who was sneaking up behind her. Before he could recover, blood spilled from his neck's gaping spear wound.

"_Hiyaah!_" Ladie whirled around, caught off guard as a Vampire swooped down on her.

"Watch out!" She found herself shoved to the side. Fia quickly dodged the Vampire's blow, and stabbed her in the chest.

"Your Highness!" Ladie said in surprise. "But—"

"Tell your troops to pull back—now!" Fia ordered. "There's not much time!"

"We can't!" Ladie said as she parried a blow from an axe. "There's too many of them! They'll follow us if we let up!" She smiled at Fia gently. "You have to go now, Your Highness. Live on as a tribute to your forebears—agh!" Ladie pushed the sword away from her shoulder with the shaft of her spear and did away with the offending demon.

"Please leave, Your Highness!" she gasped, her hand gripping her bleeding shoulder. "We're prepared to die!"

"What? No—" Fia dodged another scythe blow, but fell as she did so. The Vampire poised her scythe over Fia's nose. Fia closed her eyes and braced herself.

"Good-bye—_eeaaaghh!_" Fia cracked open her eyelids to find Ein standing before her.

"Go," he said simply. She found no reason to argue.

"Agh!" an Elendian soldier fell before him, a horrible slash wound bleeding on his left leg. Ein tore a piece off his white sash and sealed it. He then pulled out his sword and thrust it forward just as the soldier's attacker emerged.

The demon soldier lunged forward at the same time that Ein did, and it resulted in them both trying to overpower the other with their broadswords against each other. The demon gave him a sharp kick in the stomach.

"Waah!" Ein fell back, but not before Rose darted out from nowhere and clawed at his opponent's face. Ein quickly stood up and drove his sword into the demon's chest.

"You okay?" Rose asked, not without a hint of sarcasm.

Ein rubbed his aching elbows. "Yeah. Thanks."

"Watch out!" They both sharply turned to look behind them, at which point Ein saw the soldier he had helped earlier drop to the ground, an arrow lodged in his heart.

"No." Ein found himself too shocked to be upset. "Why—?"

"Ein, _concentrate!_" Rose snapped indignantly. "Archers are coming from this direction—ah!" She narrowly missed being pinned to the ground.

Ein looked up, and regretted that he did so. A rain of arrows launched from who knew where were making their way into the thick of the battle. He quickly shielded himself with his sword, but not without hearing a few heart-wrenching grunts from the Elendian soldiers who got hit.

"Here comes another wave!" Rose cried frantically, ducking behind Ein.

"Hey!" Ein contested, but nevertheless parried off the arrows. A demon fell beside him.

"Why are they hitting their own soldiers?" he asked no one in particular.

"Like it matters right now!" his feline friend retorted. "Just _fight_, will you?"

"I'm trying! Hey!—" Ein ducked from a scythe attack and retaliated with a slash to the Vampire's belly.

"Fireballs!" Rose screeched in a panic.

"No way!" Ein leapt backwards to avoid being singed. "We can't keep this up much longer!"

"You don't have to!" Serene flew from the palace, her scythe glowing blue. Once another wave was launched, she sliced the fireballs that came her way, and they in turn cooled into vapor.

"Wait! How did this spell go again?" It was Cierra. "Oh, right!" A ball of bluish light flew towards the remaining torrent, reducing the flames to mist and smoke.

"Serene!" Ein shouted happily once she alighted before him. "Thanks!"

Serene winked. "Don't thank me yet. There're still demons coming this way!"

"_More?_ But where's Fia?"

"She can't help. Her Rosary broke when she used it earlier." She sighed. "We'll have to make do without them."

"Where're the others? Are they safe?"

"Relax. Fia and Lina are with them." Serene expertly swung her weapon behind her, beheading a demon as she did so. "Stupid demons! Why can't they just _give up?_"

"Duck!" Ein pulled her down as soon as he saw another wave of fireballs.

"What? Oof!" Serene panted. "What's the big idea? Cierra has it all under control!"

"Ah! My spell book's burnt to a crisp!"

Serene shot him a look. "Thanks Ein."

"Now what?" Rose piped up. A few screams of pain echoed through the field.

-o0o-

"I'll show you!" Cierra cried determinedly. She raised her staff.

"Wait!" Ladie called after her. "Don't! You might hurt our men!"

"But what can we do?"

"I'll check our odds, for now," Ladie said as she flew higher. "Back me up!"

"Okay!"

Ladie avoided some stray arrows and looked ahead. She immediately flew back down, her face ashen as she looked at Cierra.

"You'd best run away now. Defend our citizens. We'll die here."

"Are you kidding?" Cierra questioned, desperation in her voice. "Are they _that_ many?"

Ladie trembled as she spoke. "More than I can say."

"We can't!" Cierra blasted nearby enemies with a torrent of flame. "We just can't!"

Ladie slashed at her opponent, panting as she did so. "I don't know how much longer we can keep up." She panted. "Ah!" she screamed, an arrow pinned on her left wing.

"Ladie—kyaah!" An arrow landed centimeters from Cierra's foot.

-o0o-

"We can't just die here!" Ein cried. "We can't!" He hacked his way forward. Serene followed behind.

"I don't want all this to end, either!" Serene added. "There's still so much I want to do!" She gave a powerful kick to a Vampire and pierced her with the sharp point of her scythe. But as she did so, an arrow flew her way, and she let go of her scythe to avoid it.

"Gotcha." A demon Soldier touched his sword to her neck.

"Serene!" Ein rushed towards them, and a Demi-human took this opportunity to knock the wind out of him.

Ein lay gasping on the ground, feeling a foot pressing onto his back. He struggled to move.

"Ein!" Rose cried helplessly, unable to act fast enough. The Demi-human raised his axe to chop Ein's head off.

"_Argh!_" Ein felt the foot lift. He immediately stood up and raced towards Serene, ignoring the Demi-human's cry of pain as he was burned to death.

Serene's attacker somehow had his head chopped off, and Ein could see a black-winged figure standing behind her.

_Black wings?_ He stared at the newcomer incredulously. The stranger not only had a pair, but also held a spear in his hand, etched in the same runes as his sword.

"_You!_" Rose exclaimed, regarding him with surprise. "You're _alive?_"

"You _know_ him?"

"Enough talk," the stranger said curtly. "You." He pointed to Ein. "I see that you can wield that sword. On my signal, attack every demon you see."

He said something Ein couldn't place, but instantly their weapons glowed with a fierce light.

"_Attack!_" Ein needed no telling twice. He slashed the air before him, and a bright whitish-green arch darted from the motion and cut through the enemy ranks. Any demon caught in the blow faded into the light without so much as a cry.

The stranger, on the other hand, brought new meaning to the word "raze". He slashed the air several times, creating great whorls of fire that left charred bodies of several winged demons in its wake.

"You!" he pointed to Serene. "Move your allies back! From now on leave the fighting to the two of us." Serene complied, and what was left of the Elendian army pulled back into the palace.

-o0o-

"What was that?" Lina wondered as they looked out from the ramparts with the other Elendians. They were still in the palace, as Fia had insisted that they not leave. "Ah, Ladie!"

Ladie was tired, but she was quite surprised to find everyone still in the palace. "Why are you all still here?"

"I'm not sure, either," Fia responded, walking up to them. "But I prayed, and something told me that everything would be just fine. Besides," she took a deep breath, "Right now, everyone needs a good rest."

"Then I'll lead them and my men inside the palace." Ladie smiled.

-o0o-

"Gill! Molan!" Mylene tearfully embraced her children as they entered alongside Ein and the winged stranger into the hall.

"Mommy!" Molan sobbed. "I missed you!"

"It was so cool!" Gill told his father excitedly. "Mister Ledah fought off those demons and helped us come home!"

"Well, Mister Ledah." Kyle offered his hand to the stranger. "I owe you my thanks for helping my children."

Ledah took his hand, but remained deadpan as he spoke. "I am only doing my duties."

"We all have to thank you." Graham stepped forward. "If it wasn't for your arrival…"

"I know." Ledah nodded grimly. "But rest now, my liege. You can be assured that the demons will not attack for some time."

"Thank you," Graham said again. "But please stay also. We will have a room prepared for you."

Ledah shook his head. "No need. I have things to do." He left the hall without another word.

"Ein!" Lina exclaimed joyfully. "You're all right!"

"You were incredible out there!" Cierra chimed in.

"Heheh, thanks."

Rose turned and flew off his shoulder. "I gotta go. You're gonna need some space." She flew out of the hall.

"Wait, Rose!" Ein called, and decided against doing so a second time. He remained pensive and modest as the villagers crowded around him. He would have to talk to her later.

-o0o-

Rose flew out of a window and went to the ramparts, where she could see Ledah standing at attention, looking out towards the rising sun.

"It's been a while," she said nostalgically, as she alighted on a rampart. "I thought you got killed along with the others."

"Idrah's pet, I see," Ledah remarked. "I had expected the same of you."

"Ha _ha_," Rose replied sarcastically. "You still haven't changed a bit."

"You know that no one is to know of our secrets," Ledah blankly stated. "How is it that a mere boy has come to possess Idrah's Diviner?"

Rose turned up her nose haughtily at him. "Then why did you keep those two kids alive?" When he didn't reply, she continued, "Master Idrah had wanted it that way."

"Wanted?" Ledah repeated, a small hint of surprise in his voice. "You mean to say that he specifically _gave_ our secret to someone _outside _of our circle? No, more importantly, he was _alive?_"

"This is the first time you've spoken more than a sentence," Rose chided him. "Yes to both. But on the matter of giving secrets, you knew that he was always like that."

"He had a different view from us, yes, but he remained loyal."

"He wasn't being disloyal," Rose countered. "I've spent a hundred years with him to know that. He just thought that it was time to entrust his power to someone else."

Ledah was adamant. "No one breaches our security concerning the Ragnarok. _You_ were an exception. Need I remind you, little pet, that you were shown _mercy?_ You are in no place to argue."

"But it's not _me_," protested Rose. "I fully support Master Idrah! And more importantly, stop calling me a _pet!_"

Ledah gave her a wry smile. "You haven't changed at all."

"I was going to say the same about you. But…" She gave him a soft look. "How did you manage to survive the attack?"

"Who knows?" Ledah said simply. Rose sighed and stared out into the horizon.

"I guess, from here on out, things are going to change."

-o0o-

And so ends the first arc/prologue. Yes, this is only a prologue of things to come, and yes, these chapters are mere shadows of the rest of the story. I'm ecstatic to finally put poor, overlooked Ledah into the picture. And I'm happy to say that next chapter will (finally) be the start of the actual story!


	6. The Caprice of Shadows

_Kyaah_, I never thought I'd be this flustered in updating. (Note to self: think of less horrible penalties for procrastination.) Then again, the _Hana Kimi_ manga was pretty

**Chapter VI: The Caprice of Shadows**

Dawn saw Lina rushing through the hallways.

Ein and the other girls were having a discussion with the king regarding the nation's future, and she had offered to go and search for their new comrade. Glancing out of a window at the right time, she eventually found him, standing like a sentry on top of a high tower.

"Lina's looking for you!" she called, hoping that he would see her.

-o0o-

_Ledah stood quietly on the roof of the tower, gripping his Diviner in one hand, quite oblivious to everything except the treetops glazed by the late afternoon sunlight. He wasn't on sentry duty, but he thought that an extra pair of eyes was necessary, and he often opted to be the lookout whenever he could. One could never be sure when an intruder would come._

"_I was looking for you," a voice chuckled. Ledah spared a glance behind him to see Idrah, his arms folded, gazing at him, in fondness or amusement—he couldn't tell which. "I thought Nanai was on sentry duty."_

_Ledah frowned and turned back to the horizon. "Why are you here, Master Idrah?"_

"_Is that any way to greet your senior?"_

_Idrah watched the younger man's shoulders stiffen. "Fine, fine." He threw up his arms in surrender. "I was wondering if you'd like to spar with me." He stared at the younger Knight's back expectantly._

_Ledah sighed, turned around. "Why?"_

"_Well, for one thing, it could take your mind off Demons. It's been fifteen years since the Ragnarok—I thought you'd let up by now."_

_Ledah stared at him incredulously, then nodded. They flew from the tower and alighted at the courtyard. Idrah pulled out Einherjar, the other likewise drew his spear and lunged forward to attack._

"Oof!_ That's quite a blow," Idrah remarked as he blocked the attack with his sword. He flung Ledah aside and aimed for his neck._

_Ledah, unfazed, turned his head just as the tip of Einherjar passed within an inch of where his neck had been. Idrah smiled._

"_I see your skills are still as sharp as Lorelei was when you first wielded it." When he saw Ledah grimace, he laughed and continued, "Do you still remember when you first held your Diviner?"_

_Ledah answered with a stroke of his spear. "I _don't_," he said flatly._

"_Haha, of course. You should be more considerate of yourself than that, Ledah." Idrah parried the blow and swung his blade forward. Ledah quickly dodged the blow, but lost his balance. He propelled himself with his wings and raised Lorelei for a strike._

_Idrah grunted as their weapons came together. "You recover too quickly. That won't do."_

-o0o-

Up until now he wasn't sure what Idrah had meant by that. He chose to ignore that last sentence afterwards, but it still puzzled him. Recovering from an attack should be a good thing—why would Master Idrah sound disappointed?

"_Lina's looking for you!_" He blinked, looked below, and saw a small pony-tailed girl waving her arms frantically from a nearby window. Her face was held in a pout, exasperated at his lack of attention. His eyes widened—more from the fact that he had failed to notice her movements than from the sight of her urgency. With a beat of his wings, he soon made it to the window. The girl stepped back and let him enter.

"The King told Lina to fetch you," she informed him.

He assumed she was referring to herself. He nodded, politely motioned for her to lead the way, but she appeared to be surprised by his proximity, he realized, since she blushed slightly when he came nearer.

Lina looked at the floor, and mumbled, "I want to thank you for saving my friends."

Ledah, who was only mildly taken aback at her sudden use of first-person pronouns, merely placed a hand on her shoulder, causing the girl to look up.

"Lead the way. I will follow."

Lina gazed at his deadpan expression, nodded vigorously, and began walking, staring at the floor and playing with her fingers to distract herself.

-o0o-

"It's decided then?" Serene asked, casting a glance at the others.

Ein nodded. "The kids he rescued mentioned a large castle, or fort of some sort—I think it'll be enough room for everyone. Now all we need is his permission."

"It won't be that easy," Rose responded. She sat primly at Ein's feet. "He's pretty tough to argue with."

"You seem to know him." Cierra came closer and knelt down. "How do you think we can convince him?"

Rose narrowed her eyes and began pacing the floor. "Well, we _could_ appeal to his sense of duty." She looked up at Ein, who stared back in shock. "Maybe I said too much?"

"We really can't say," Ein said apologetically, looking at Graham. "Even my master was a little secretive."

"But we have to do something. Anything will do." Fia clasped her hands together and looked down. "After all, I've used up our only means of defense."

"It was a matter of grave importance," Graham told her. "You needn't worry about that rosary."

"But Grandfather, it was our kingdom's greatest treasure." Fia gripped her hands even tighter. "I should have been more careful with it."

"So you've used it," Ledah remarked as he and Lina entered the throne room. He went forward and knelt respectfully before Graham.

Graham motioned for him to stand. "I thank you for coming, but now I have a request."

"And what would that be, my liege?"

Graham stood up. "I ask of you, on behalf of my people, to let them take refuge in your fortress."

For a moment Ledah seemed taken aback. Then, drawing his breath, he said, "This is a great favor you ask of me, my liege."

"But can it be done?" Fia looked at him imploringly.

"You've gotta help them!" Serene exclaimed fervently. "You can't let them die out like my people did!"

"Your people?" Ledah looked her over blankly. "So the Arcs have been annihilated?"

"You're a couple of days late," Rose answered.

"I see," Ledah replied, without a hint of remorse.

"'I see'?" Serene repeated, her voice rising in fury. "My people get killed off and that's all you have to say?" How could this—this interloper take their deaths so lightly? She had seen them die with her own eyes!

"Serene." Fia held her shoulder. "Please don't—"

Serene shook her hand off and glowered at Ledah. "Why didn't you come earlier? The war's been here for a hundred years—_why didn't you do something?_"

"Serene, that's enough," Fia said patiently. "He saved us. That's all that matters."

"Easy for _you_ to say!" Serene snapped, turning to Fia. "_Your_ people didn't get massacred!"

"What makes your people different from hers?" Ledah asked her candidly.

"What do you—"

"I have seen much genocide. What makes this different from any other?"

"You—!" Serene tried to rush forward, but Fia held her back firmly.

Ledah sighed, turned to Graham. "I can see that I have merely caused animosity within your presence, my liege. I will leave now." He turned and left. Serene sank to the ground, struggling to retain her tears.

-o0o-

"Well, so much for that idea," Rose commented as she and Ein exited the room.

"She can't help it, Rose."

Rose searched his face. "Sorry. I forgot that you pretty much went through the same thing."

"Hey, at least there are other Sprites. Serene's the only Arc left. If she dies…"

"Yeah," Rose agreed. "So, what do we do now?"

"We need to talk to that Ledah guy, and get him to help us. And maybe…" Ein fingered the hilt of his sword.

Rose's eyes widened. "So you're gonna ask him, huh?"

-o0o-

Stars hung dully in the sky. The tents the villagers put up in the courtyard glimmered oddly under a full moon. In the center of the huddle a campfire created fleeting shadows against the tarps.

Serene would have gone outside, if it weren't for her current state of mind. She had retreated to her room after her outburst, and had refused to come out or allow anyone to come in. Fia had tried to check in on her several times that afternoon, but her efforts were in vain. She knew it wasn't Fia's fault—the girl was only trying to keep her from doing something she would regret later.

She sat by the window for most of her voluntary confinement, watching the Elendians try to go about their lives. She envied them for being able to rebuild their lives, though she knew that she herself didn't have much of a life ahead of the next battle. The fact that her future could only be seen as far as the next day troubled her. Still, it was unfair to vent all these frustrations on a person she had come to consider as a friend. They were hard to come by these days.

_That guy probably doesn't have friends to begin with_, she thought bitterly. The calm way with which he handled things drove her up the wall. She had remembered seeing him in the battlefield with Ein, acting as if he was an authority on battles. Of course, she knew, that he could be, what with all that skill and magic she saw him perform the night of their last skirmish. But if he was indeed a veteran, what had kept him from lending his assistance to the other nations? Could it be that—that for all his prowess, he wasn't able to put a visible dent in the Demons' forces? She shuddered to think of the military strength the enemy must possess. Still, since Rosalina and Elendia were the last surviving nations left, he could have at least come over to assist them.

_Speak of the devil._ From out of the corner of her eye Serene could make out a distinct shape that fluttered for a moment amid the calm display of shadows that the firelight cast below. Determined, she climbed onto the windowsill and flew after him.

She stealthily followed him, choosing to travel under the shadows the palace cast over them. She noticed that the campfire was the only lively thing left in the courtyard. Now that she thought of it—it _was_ getting late, but she had lost track of time after this morning.

"What are you doing?"

She stopped. "_What_ the—!" She looked up and saw that Ledah was sitting on the roof of the tower behind her. She glared at him, but her expression quickly dissolved when she saw that he wasn't affected by it.

"Might as well…" She sighed resignedly and flew up to sit beside him. Ledah said nothing.

"Look," she began, taking a deep breath, "I'm sorry about this morning. It's just that—"

"You are the last Arc," Ledah stated, without looking at her. Taken aback, she studied him closely. He was just sitting there, staring so intently into the distance that she wondered if he actually expected any Demons to appear on the horizon.

"I _know_ that," she answered reproachfully. "Look, it's really hard for me to say this, okay? You don't know what it's like to lose everything you have!"

Ledah turned to look at her, face void of emotion. "Do you know what it's like, to not have anything to lose?"

"I came here to apologize, all right?" Serene retorted, though more curious than annoyed. "I'm sorry about my behavior this morning, ya got it?"

"I understand." He resumed his watch.

Serene blew a stray lock of hair from her face. "What's with you, anyway? Why do you keep zoning out?"

"I haven't been 'zoning out,' as you say. I have been listening to you this whole time."

She jumped—she hadn't expected a reply. "Oh. Well, then what's so interesting out there?"

"It's a habit."

"A habit?"

"When you're a soldier, you have to be wary of enemies, but you also have to be alert enough to receive instructions from your superiors."

_So he's kinda like me._ She grew pensive. "So what did you mean, when you said you had nothing to lose?"

"I believe you already know the answer to that."

"That's true." She gazed at the camp down below, and hesitated. She wanted badly to say it—but it seemed inappropriate at this time.

"Say, Ledah—was it? Will you—will you help us out?"

Ledah blinked, but didn't make any move besides that. "You wish to send these Sprites to my home?"

"Yeah."

"The way to the castle is dangerous. Even I can't protect all of you if Demons attack."

"Oh." She sighed in disappointment, watched the still shadows pressed against the walls.

"There is a way," he said, then paused. "But it could be risky."

"Anything!"

He looked at her again. "Very well."

-o0o-

Fia woke up early the next morning, intent on seeing her grandfather regarding the future of their people. She hoped that they would find some other way of keeping everyone safe. She stepped outside, heading towards the throne room.

She yawned—she didn't have much sleep the night before. She was too concerned about their situation to bother with something as peaceful and mundane as sleep. She assumed that her grandfather had also done the same.

She contemplated discussing a different approach to asking Ledah, if not simply thinking of another plan. Her footsteps echoed through the silent corridor. Her feet seemed to drag with every step, but she was too deep in thought to notice her fatigue.

"Ah, it's you!" She stopped short of rehearsing her pleas for Ledah's consent, as he stood quietly before her, wings blocking the sunlight sifting through the windows. She blushed, smiled apologetically.

"I—I'm sorry, but please help us!" she implored, fervently clasping her hands together. "The Sprites shouldn't die here."

Ledah merely stood there, mildly observing her. She held her breath, and tried again:

"_Please._"

He stared at her fixedly. She flinched, unused as she was to having anyone standing this close to her. "Go back to sleep," he finally said.

"Wh—what?"

"You need rest. I will see him alone."

Fia bristled. "I'm _fine_. Now," she gestured towards the throne room, "Please follow me." Ledah silently complied.

Ledah, by nature a solitary individual, stayed silent the rest of the way. On the other hand, the uncomfortable hush took its toll on Fia, who was longing to break the lull. She straightened her shoulders, looked him squarely in the eye.

"I'm sorry!" she blurted out. Ledah stopped, raised an eyebrow at her.

She felt her face flare in a blush. "I mean—I apologize for what happened yesterday. Please don't take it out on Serene, she was just—just…"

"I understand," Ledah said for the second time. Fia sighed deeply and relaxed her trembling frame.

"I have consented to sending your people away from this palace," he added. "But evacuating a large group has some complications."

Fia, relieved at this, smiled. "Is that why you wanted to see Grandfather?"

"If this 'Grandfather' is your king, then yes."

"That's wonderful!" She felt a great weight lift from her shoulders. He finally agreed to help them! Ecstatic, she looked at her companion, stared at the lance strapped to his back. She marveled at the jagged edge of the shaft, caught sight of the runes trailing along it. Vague images from a day before came back to her. A strange circle bearing similar runes had appeared on the ground when she had used her rosary.

_So you've used it._

"Excuse me," she ventured.

"What is it?"

"Do you, um, do you know anything about our kingdom's rosary?"

Ledah chuckled, which startled her. "That little thing was sent to your kingdom two hundred years ago, am I correct?"

She nodded, remembering her history lessons. "It was our most powerful treasure."

"It was a fake."

Fia blanched. _A fake. _They stopped walking.

"It was a fake," Ledah reiterated. "We sent it to your kingdom about two hundred years ago, during the first king's coronation."

"You mean, King Binon?" she said uncertainly. _Two hundred years?_ She cleared her throat. "But, how?—"

Ledah pointed to his wings. "You should have realized by now, that I'm…different."

_What _is_ he?_ "Ah! But," she frowned, "What did you mean when you said that the rosary was fake? It showed the same runes as your lance when I used it."

Ledah shook his head. "All you need to know is that we sent the rosary—along with the prayer to use it—to your kingdom for protection. Your ancestors were given specific instructions to use it only in time of great need." And so saying he resumed walking, but with a quicker stride than before. Fia picked up her pace and fell in step with him, not daring to say another word.

-o0o-

"_Here is the rosary," Pura said as she handed the item to Dias._

_Dias set the rosary into a small black coffer and closed it. He carefully scrutinized a number of other similar boxes set on the table, all bearing no seal. He glanced at the six other Knights who stood around the table. Each of them had contributed a copy of their Diviners—the rosary, the Longinus, the Rosier, the Lorelei, the Ignis Spear, the Skadi, the Excalibur, and the Saint Scepter._

"_These are selected for each major city in Riviera," Dias explained. "The activation of these weapons will signal us to an attack. I have selected your Diviners' copies for the sole purpose of alerting us to any Demonic activity. Their energy signatures match those of the Diviners— they will resonate when their copies are used. You must all be alert, and keep your weapons with you at all times. Is that clear?" He paused, watching as they took in the information._

_Kirie spoke up, "But Dias, the copies will break after use."_

"_Surely you're not suggesting that we give them our Diviners?"_

_Kirie shook her head. "No, of course not. What I mean to say is—shouldn't we at least make the weapons more durable?"_

"_Kirie," he laughed, "We're not giving them proper weapons because we can't trust those mortals to use them without abusing their power."_

"_Just what kind of game are you playing, Dias?" Everyone turned to the doorway to see Idrah, who folded his arms and looked sternly at their leader._

_Dias smirked. "Why? You of all people would have wanted this."_

"_Exactly. This isn't like you at all. You who ordered the Sprites to forget our existence, you who destroyed the Tetythians for preserving the knowledge of the Ragnarok—you shouldn't be giving away replicas of our Diviners!"_

"_Master Idrah, Master Dias," Pura whispered, taking a step back. Feuer held her protectively._

"_Idrah…" Kirie looked at him sadly._

"_Tch." Malice cocked her head to one side, eyed Idrah questioningly. "Why are you going against this? Aren't you the one who loves the Sprites the most?"_

"_That's right," Dias added. "Shouldn't you be glad that I'm imparting a bit of our existence to them? But don't worry," he gestured toward the boxes, "they aren't even sealed with our emblem. In any case, as far as the Sprites of this generation know, we are simply their enigmatic protectors who must not be crossed."_

"_Master Idrah, why does this bother you?" Vann asked._

"_Perhaps he hasn't recovered from Tetyth's recent destruction." Dias went forward and placed a hand on Idrah's shoulder. "Old friend, their genocide will pass. You must not let your emotions cloud your judgment."_

"_Do what you will, and see whether or not it will fit those of the gods'," Idrah replied evenly. He took a deep breath. "I trust that the gifts will serve their purpose?"_

"_They will only be used in greatest need," Dias assured him. "After all, their protection is our main concern."_

-o0o-

Ein ran into Ledah just as the latter exited the throne room.

"There's something I want to talk to you about," Ein told him gravely, showing him his sword. "My master's sword has the same runes as your lance."

Ledah folded his arms, studied him with red eyes.

"Look, I know you had something to do with my master. Do you know where the rest of these weapons are?"

Ledah, ignoring the question, strode past him.

"I need to know!" Ein exclaimed angrily. "You can't just let the Demons take over!"

"They won't." He stopped, turned to face Ein. "How much do you know of that sword?"

"I know that it's powerful."

_Master Idrah… He…_ "Then you should also know that it was never meant to be wielded by a Sprite." He looked at the boy questioningly. "Who was your teacher?"

"Master Idrah."

_He wouldn't…_ "He _gave_ you that sword?"

"We were being chased by Demons. He told me to take it, and not look back." Ein lowered his eyes, held up the sword with both hands. "I think he wanted you to have this," he said quietly. Ledah blinked in surprise, slowly reached for the sword.

_Don't look back._ Ledah placed his palm on the flat end of the blade, skimmed his hand over the runes until he touched the hilt. He lightly pushed it back. "No. He entrusted it to you."

Ein's eyes widened in astonishment. "Are you sure?"

Ledah narrowed his eyes, stared into space. "Yes. Your protection is our main concern." A smile seemed to tug at the corners of his lips. "Use it well."

"Don't worry…I will." Ein replied as he strapped the sword to his waist, but when he looked up, Ledah was gone.

-o0o-

The sunlight was bright, but not sweltering. It was so pleasantly warm that Fia took her grandfather out to stroll about the palace grounds after their meeting.

Elendia had not been prosperous for the most part of the century, mostly due to the war, but somehow they'd managed to survive through the years. Even the palace garden, for its size, wasn't particularly lavish with plant life. Green clusters were scattered about the grounds. Modest flowers, most of an impressively dull color, peeked from the few bushes that lined the garden path. There were empty patches of soil where dead plants had been removed. Ancient trees lowered their branches, their leaves prematurely turning bronze.

"This is wonderful, Grandfather," Fia gushed. "We're going to be saved!"

Graham leaned on his walking stick as Fia led him down the path. He observed the sparse greenery that flourished around their home. _Nothing more grows here_, he thought sadly. _Eighty-nine years and still I can't help but feel that this garden should hold more life in it._ He looked at Fia, who was busy drinking in the atmosphere. He supposed that he should be content with this garden-that-wasn't-quite-a-garden. He wondered why a place as dangerous as Nelde would be so lush with greenery, while here his people had to struggle to coax so much as a weed from the earth.

"But Grandfather…" Fia's tone grew serious. "I would like to accompany Ein and Ledah when they go down into the tunnels." She held her breath, expecting a negative reply.

Graham sighed, shifted his cane from one hand to another. "My granddaughter, you do realize that this is dangerous? You have only survived in the past battles because Ledah, Ein, and our soldiers were there to protect you."

Fia cringed, remembering her small role in the past two battles.

"Why do you want this?"

"I want to help," she told him resolutely.

"Fia, there is more to that. You are not a seasoned fighter—you would only hold them back. Cease such frivolity, and stay with me."

"Grandfather, that's not it!" She flushed, vexed at such an answer. "It's because when I was back in the tunnels, I saw something happen. It's as if there was more to the history of our kingdom than we know of."

Graham chuckled softly. "If I were only fifty years younger I might have gone with you," he went on. "Now I am a senile old fool." He pointed to their garden, which was too bare to be considered quaint. "I cannot control anything that happens to us. What they are doing is for our benefit, remember that. Fia, if you wish to go with them, then you must ask for their permission. _They_ will decide whether or not your intentions are sound."

"Grandfather." Fia smiled at him consolingly. "You don't have to worry about a thing. As long as Ursula is alive, we still have hope."

"She used to be our only line of defense against the Demons," Graham mused, rubbing his chin. "No doubt their arrival was Ursula's doing." He surveyed the area. "Yggdrasil may be the only good tree left."

"Riviera won't be lost. Ursula is watching over us," Fia assured him, her countenance growing noticeably brighter. "I'm sure of it."

-o0o-

My, my, it seems that I went overboard with the quotation marks, but I had to write this rather slow chapter, since this will be a basis for the many conflicts to come. At least I've finally gotten this fight-scene-less chappie out of the way. I'll be careful to write a more substantial chapter next time.


	7. Sounds

(_stretches_) Oh, it feels so good to finally update! Hope you like this chappie, what with the battle scene I so lovingly crafted for you.X3 Battle scenes have been swimming around in my head since I started reading really thick war-themed fantasy novels. Weee...

**Chapter VII: Sounds**

Madness, maybe? The girls were hardly warriors. How they had survived the last few battles was beyond comprehension. Of course the decision was clear. If they joined it would be a tactical error in itself. The fact that they outlived trained soldiers in battle was a mere fluke—a stroke of luck that would likely not last long. They might die—worse, they might hold everyone else back. The answer to their plea was clear.

"You joining us would be suicide. You'll only hold us back, not to mention needlessly endanger yourselves, so my answer is, if you haven't guessed it already, _no_." That should discourage them.

The four girls had their heads bowed throughout, though at least one of them had her teeth and fists clenched. She raised her head, her eyes flashing.

"What gives _you_ the right to boss us around? _You'r_e the newcomer here. We only want to defend what was left to us!"

The object of her ire chuckled. "I'm afraid that you are confused. _You_ seem to think that this war is a game. It seems I haven't made myself clear: your errors in judgment have been noted since my arrival, as well as your lack of discipline and your tendency to give in to your emotions. A _competent_ army, girls, an army that can vanquish Demons and rescue loved ones, is one that requires none of these."

"You think—"

"That's right. I _think_. Now," she waved her hand dismissively at them. "You _do _have some potential—not very much—but it's enough to warrant you guard duty. Stay behind with the rest of your squad and defend the territory from the rear. If we're lucky, you won't have to use your weapons at all." Icy blue eyes were cast on the flimsy leather hauberks and shortswords that the girls wore. They were close to useless against the current enemy.

The girls filed away from her presence, the petulant one casting a defiant glare in her direction before departing. Malice shook her head, returned her attention to the map on the table. Small figures were placed either in rows or clusters about the map, each representing a division of soldiers from both her army and that of the Demons. Several soldiers were gathered round the table, all of whom kept respectful silence as Malice dealt with the girls. Malice gave them a tired glance, resumed her instructions.

At least these people were disciplined. She made sure of that, by handpicking her officers from the rebel army. Still, they were not like the motley crew she had allied with back in the day.

-o0o-

_They camped in the forest clearing under the glaring noonday heat. Malice gave little notice to the winged soldiers and Sprites napping with their helms on their faces or lovingly sharpening their weapons as she made her way to Dias's tent, where they were to discuss strategies for the campaign._

_She raised the flap and entered. The inside was dark—everything was hued grey, and smelled faintly of tanned animal hide left under the sun for too long. She wrinkled her nose, stood at attention along with her fellow officers around a small table._

_Valdes held up his book before them. A sphere of light emerged from the pages, providing them with a blurry picture of strokes and scribbles in varying shades of deep green on a jade backdrop Gelt pointed to a section of the globe, which accordingly spun its blurs and wisps until they formed outlines and silhouettes of the enemy camp._

"_They are camped to the far west of the riverbank, half a mile from the ford."_

"_Good. They'll likely be blocking it later on." Dias frowned as he took in the rippling image. "How many aquatic troops are there?"_

"_Enough that my squad can fry them later."_

"_Very well, Gelt. I'll leave them to you and your men. Malice."_

_She stepped forward. "Yes, Commander?"_

_Dias pointed to the edge of the globular map. "I want your company here. We'll herd the Demons to your turf. You know the rest. Idrah," he motioned for the other man to step forward. "Be prepared to waylay them here. However you deal with the remaining Demons is none of my concern, but our goal is the absolute safety of the hostages, and we do _not_ make mistakes in that regard. Understood?"_

_Idrah nodded solemnly._

"_Good." Dias nodded to Valdes, who closed his book in response. The map faded away._

_As they filed out of the tent Malice took a moment to look around the terrain and shook her head. _Too many obstacles. Just my luck the Demons had to choose the woodlands to hide.

"_Nervous?" Ledah asked her, offhandedly. She almost jumped at the remark—she wouldn't have forgiven herself if she did. Ledah was never one to initiate conversation. She frowned at him, saw that his face remained serious, blank even._

_She chuckled smugly. "About an ambush? _You_ should be the nervous one, what with infiltrating their camp all by your lonesome."_

"_We have our duties." He gave Valdes's map a cool look. "Having emotions would hamper that."_

"_As if _I_ didn't know that," she muttered to herself._

_She never forgave herself for saying that, when she caught him with a rare smirk._

-o0o-

Malice shook her head clear of the memory. Wherever that infuriating Ledah was, he wasn't here. In some ways it was a shame—he would have been a welcome addition to this ragtag rebel army. A competent one, anyway.

"Hmph." She gazed at their would-be battlefield—a large, sweeping plain blocked by a steep cliff to one side—a perfect spot for her to oversee the upcoming battle. It used to be a long-gone farming community on the eastern border of Kasa. The fields were bare—too dry to be weedy, and littered with dusty rubble and planks of wood. A strong wind was blowing. A good sign. It might impair the aerial fleet later on—her too, if she wasn't careful, but she didn't count on showing herself unless it was strictly necessary, and even then, only when she was sure that any Demon seeing her would end up dead the next second.

She laughed at that. She was becoming as careful as Ledah.

_Maybe too much. He would have objected._

She furrowed her brows. She hadn't checked in at the castle in a while. He should be safe, she mused. His Diviner, Lorelei, was there to ward off any hostile elements.

An army was coming into view. Golems lumbered forward, making up the front line, with the Soldiers backing them up and possibly operating them as well. Harpies and Wyverns flanked them on both sides, and a squad of Archers brought up the rear. She looked down from her perch on a high cliff, checking to make sure that her regiment was at least marginally calm in waiting for the advancing horde to approach them.

_Relax_, she assured herself. _You chose every one of them._ There should be no room for error. She only chose the most rational and levelheaded members she could find, which were in reality, few and far between. Hopefully, this small group she had amassed would distract the enemy long enough for the rest of her troops to close in on their flanks.

-o0o-

"Join the expedition? I don't know..." Ein scratched his head. "I mean, it's not safe."

"Hey, we want to help too!" Serene protested, then sighed, keeping her scowl as she shook her head. The gods only knew why the other girls had thought it a swell idea for her to be their spokeswoman.

"_Serene should ask them!" Lina declared, after they all agreed that they had plausible reasons to take part in clearing the way for the Elendians._

_Fia nodded her approval while Cierra's face brightened. Her face took on the sort of glow that Serene equated with her more eccentric Arc friends. She shook her head, both to try to channel that thought away from her and to express her disagreement._

"Me?_" she said incredulously. "Why _me?_"_

"_Well," Cierra ventured, clasping her hands together. "You _are_ the most outspoken one, and—"_

"_And that means I gotta go deal with him?" she demanded._

_Cierra smiled indulgently, and looked at Serene as if she was reassuring a child. "Um, no. You could just talk to Ein, and let him take care of Ledah."_

"You know, Ledah should be the one to decide," Ein remarked. "I get the feeling that he's experienced in this kind of thing."

'_Take care of Ledah'? Like _that's_ gonna happen!_ She gave Ein her best scowl. "Look—we can all fight. I've been doing it all my life, and Cierra can even use magic! Fia knows something about the place that we don't, and Lina," she paused, deepening her frown as she gave the girl's justification some thought. Lina shouldn't be going at all. Now that her two friends were safe with them, she didn't have a more concrete reason other than wanting to help out. "Well, Lina could stay in the rear since she's good with a bow."

Ein sighed, not sure how to put it. _I wish Rose was here, and not off with Ledah doing some reminiscing._ He knew that that wasn't entirely true, of course. Rose was bringing him up to speed on the happenings of the last hundred years since, apparently, Ledah had somehow been clueless all that time. What with all that was going on, he wasn't surprised that the guy could live so long.

Rose, on the other hand, was a different matter. He wasn't sure how to handle the fact that she was actually older than she appeared. Then again, he used to believe that he'd take over the family farm and live a quiet life, carving ruts on the hard soil like his father had.

"Get Rose to talk to him, then. Maybe _she_ can convince him."

Ein blinked, focused on Serene. "They seem to know each other," he said thoughtfully. "But that could also mean that she might have the same opinion as he does."

"So do you," Serene pointed out, grudgingly realizing the futility of the situation. She sighed and slumped her shoulders. "Looks like I'll have to argue with Ledah after all."

"Why do you want to go in the first place?" Ein ventured to ask. "I mean, in spite of the dangers and stuff," he added quickly.

Serene stared at the ground. _Because it's the only thing I can do, that's why._ "We...just want to help. That's all."

"Once this is all over, you know, you could live a better life. You don't have to throw it away."

Serene folded her arms, regarded him tentatively. "You really think we have a chance?"

Ein smiled cheerfully. "Yeah."

She allowed herself a small smile. "Even with the millions of Demon hordes ready to stomp us out of existence?"

"Definitely," Ein assured her, surprised at his own confidence. Well, it was good to be positive. He tried not to recall the things he wasn't able to do in the past. _She lost her people, after all. Can't say I blame her for wanting to help._

"Then," she winked at him mischievously, "I'll stick around with you guys and make that happen."

-o0o-

"You don't even remember how you ended up there?" Rose asked incredulously. "Seriously Ledah, you're pretty clueless."

"Hmph." He quickly decided that she wasn't worth answering back to and said, "What has happened doesn't matter. I have a duty."

"Yeah, whatever." He was still as uptight as she remembered. She wondered absently if the gods had forgotten to give him emotions to go with his grating rationality. She preened herself, watching him coolly as he stood up.

"You'd best be prepared," he told her. "We're leaving in an hour."

"An hour, huh?" She stretched. "That's pretty quick. I haven't even finished telling you everything yet," she reminded him.

"You may tell me when we have the time." He looked out the window. The sun cast steadily more vivid rays into the room, and the pastel blue sky was getting lighter. His expression didn't change as he continued: "It's getting late. The journey will take at least a week. Less if we hurry."

Her face darkened. "Do you think we'll make it in time? Even with the wounded?"

Ledah considered this. "If I were the only one traveling, or if there were less people, then we'd make it in a few days. As it is, I'm left to assume that the terrain surrounding Elendia will slow the Demons' reinforcements down." _There's some sense in Elendia surviving all this time._ The treacherous Mirabys was impossible to cross since a hundred years ago, and he was fairly sure why. The rocky cliffs of Rosalina effectively hid them, and Nelde was impassable even for Demons.

He looked at his Diviner. It had driven out the Demons from the forest, but now that Nelde was out of Lorelei's weakening sphere of influence, it might be possible that the woods had been overrun by Demons by now. They'd have to hurry. Eliminating them while taking care of the Elendians could prove difficult.

And there were still some unanswered questions. His Diviner couldn't possibly have enough power to remain awakened through the course of a hundred years. It was fairly running out of energy when the two Sprite children woke him up.

-o0o-

Bales of cloth and other items were loaded onto carts drawn by nervous horses. Those who couldn't afford carts or lost them to the Demons tried to carry as much as they could, in heavy bundles that were likely to stoop even the strongest of them. Even children were made to carry supplies, though to Lina's relief they weren't as heavy as she had initially thought. She looked in the direction of the main entrance, where people were lining up with their supplies. She spotted Gill, Molan, and their parents there, anxiously carrying what little belongings they had left.

The line was made up of sweating, apprehensive Sprites, all staring around worriedly and impatiently from the corridors of the palace to forming odd loops in the courtyard. The soldiers who were well enough were keeping them in order, though that wasn't necessary considering that everyone was too worried and too tired to be disorganized. Ladie led the team, looking even more tired than the rest of them in spite of her usually cool and practical manner.

Lina observed all these from the balcony of Fia's bedroom, while Fia and Cierra stayed inside. Fia was sitting quietly on her bed, her eyes on the floor. Cierra was twiddling her fingers.

"Are we—are we really going to stay in that dark tunnel for a week?" she mumbled, shuddering.

"We'll have to be brave, for everyone's sake," Fia said quietly, "since we're going to be the last to get in." She let out a shaky sigh. "At least Ledah allowed us to be part of the people's defense, even if we're only to be at the rear." Still, the idea of being the one of the last to see light was daunting, more so since Ledah took command of the front lines, along with a few of the more able soldiers and Serene. Ladie and her troops, as well as Ein, were to form the rearguard alongside them.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Lina asked, referring to Serene.

"I wouldn't worry." Cierra tried to sound cheerful, but there was no mistaking the quiver in her voice. "She's with Ledah, and she can hold her own in battle."

"So can we!" Lina said resentfully, though weakly. She rested her head on the railing. She knew that Serene had more fighting experience than any of them, even Ein.

Cierra's features visibly softened as she gave a gentle smile in her direction. "Being the rear guard is important too, since we have to keep the tunnel door open to let in some air. We still have to do our best to stop anything other than that from coming in."

Fia remained silent, trying not to ponder on the fact that suffocating in that horrible passageway was not the only problem they had. She shuddered, remembering the Demons that confronted them the last time they were there.

"The line's moving," Lina called from outside.

Fia stood up. "We'd better go."

-o0o-

Most of the Harpies were pinned down by arrows and spears, though it was still tricky considering that the wind was blowing crazily in all directions. Several Golems stopped in their tracks, blindly swinging their clubs.

Malice smiled. Her guess was right. Once the Soldiers manning them were dealt with, the Golems could barely move for lack of command. The Wyverns were a bit more difficult to deal with, since it took more than a rain of arrows to bring them down, and her army had precious few to waste on them.

Thankfully, she found no need to join the battle—yet. Their lone magic user, a young witch named Soala, was responsible for singeing the approaching Wyverns. The strong gusts of wind helped to stoke the flames. Malice knew that she couldn't keep that up for long—Sprites only had so much energy after all, but as of now the situation was fairly tipping in their favor.

She folded her arms as she watched the battle from the cliff, the wind whipping in her face. Really, it was annoying how those Demons managed to track them down. She was tired of having to move her army to camp after camp—she was already behind schedule as it was. She had intended to see to Ledah a few weeks before, but the enemy kept them hard-pressed on all sides, and she had barely managed to keep the Sprites alive during that time.

But not this time. She had anticipated the advancing enemy troops after capturing one of the Soldiers from the last battle and beating the information out of him. She killed him afterwards, of course—no use letting Hades know that he didn't finish her off.

She had made sure to place two archer divisions on both sides of the battlefield, and that helped greatly in crippling their flanks. The Golems, from her experience, were slow, dumb, but strong and difficult to cut down. Since Soala was the only magician available she had had to find other means of stopping that line of defense. The uneven terrain made it difficult for the Golems to maneuver, but it was not enough to stop them completely. She had to use her frontline troops to act as bait for them. Once the Golems reached the cliff wall, they struck it to make room. She had felt the vibrations as she observed them from atop the cliff. The fact that they were slow in turning because of their great, wide feet gave an opening for her nimble soldiers to quickly move aside and finish off the operators. After the frontlines were effectively halted, it was easy for them to pick through the Archers at the back.

_Still..._ She found the battle a bit too easy. Surely the Demons must be familiar with the terrain, since they had ravaged this place before. She remembered coming here a few years ago in the aftermath of the pillaging. They hadn't found any survivors. With luck, some of them might have escaped, but other than that the destruction was total. It was a pity for them, since they were the first of Kasa's villages to be attacked. They probably didn't see it coming. How naïve.

The Golems stopped moving now. The remains of the Golem operators clogged the spaces between the stone titans. The Soldiers had been the first to go since they couldn't control the giants and defend themselves at the same time. The Archers on their side suffered heavy losses as well. The Sprites had the advantage in close combat, and with no Golems or Soldiers to protect them, their numbers dwindled exponentially. They did try to defend themselves with daggers, but those only gave them a second more to struggle before her men had them on the tips of their swords. The surviving Harpies clawed at their helms, but were rendered useless once an arrow or two hit their wings. They were either trampled or slashed to death afterwards.

Some of the Wyverns took note of this and rushed at her soldiers, each taking a mouthful of them with a swoop. She flinched at the horrendously agonized groans and the faint crunch as the Wyverns bit down on their prey. Pieces of the Sprites dropped from their jaws. She shuddered. Despite her years, she still couldn't get used to that.

The enemy Archers took advantage of this to fire at the distracted infantry. The Wyverns arranged themselves in two lines facing each of her archer squads. The Sprites reacted instantly, sending out a shower of arrows along with Soala's fireballs. The Demons dodged most of the shots as they wove and whirled and twined themselves around each other. Malice frowned. She recognized that dance.

The wind grew steadier, its force getting stronger as the dance became more frenzied. The wild gale darkened as it picked up dust, rubble, and screaming soldiers. With an earsplitting howl all this was flung at the infantry. The gusts were enough to extinguish the fireballs, as well as return the flurry of arrows at a greater momentum. The remainder of archers who weren't stabbed by the torrent or hit by the falling bodies was knocked several meters backward.

She instinctively reached for her Diviner. Her palm was slick as she gripped Skadi. _Not yet._ She paused.

Despite the return fire, the Wyverns couldn't possibly aim each projectile at every archer, and the arrows weren't strong enough to pierce through their armor. There was still a good portion left of her units. They threw themselves on the ground and held on to whatever they could—dilapidated walls, rocks, stationary Golems, as the wind beat furiously about them. Eventually the Wyverns succumbed to fatigue, their dance becoming gradually slower until they untangled themselves from each other and swooped at the prostrate infantry.

She bit her lip. The timing had to be right. The Sprites couldn't recover in time, but that wasn't necessary. A torrent of fireballs was pelted at the Demons' open backs. The field was soon littered with twitching, desiccated Wyverns. A few were still up in the air, trying to pick at her archers, but Soala brought them down.

They had managed to take out a large chunk of the enemy forces, but it still seemed too easy. Her heart beat a little quicker as she tried to think. They knew the terrain. They likely knew the strength of her army also. The Golems and Soldiers were wasted on the frontlines. They could have had Mages or Archers to operate them instead, while the Soldiers guarded their flanks. And they maneuvered the stone giants horribly, aiming them at the outcrop where she stood—did they know that she was there? They took the bait so easily. She'd like to think that the enemy commander was simply stupid, or cocky, or both, but she didn't survive the Ragnarok on such assumptions.

A loud cheering interrupted her thoughts. She blinked, watched the Demons pull back. The massacred Wyverns must have been the last straw. The Sprites, ecstatic at the turn of events, threw their helms and weapons down and cheered even louder. She knitted her brows. Something wasn't right.

Her forces were swarming the battlefield now, approaching her, hooting and shouting their triumph. She surveyed the area, looking to the horizon, where the retreating army slowly vanished. She shivered.

Before she could fathom the reason for this there came a low rumbling. It was too low for anyone to hear, and she knew that she was the only one who felt it. She paled, her eyes dilating.

"_Get away!_" she ordered frantically. Fissures snaked their way around the Golems' immobile forms, spilling light from their jagged seams. The army's cheering, and several resounding booms, drowned her out. She was airborne by the time the ground gave way beneath her feet.

-o0o-

Ledah ran a hand along the cavern wall, feeling the dank bumps of rock and stone. The tunnel walls were uneven. Small eroded ridges and protrusions stuck out at every turn, moist where it wasn't moldy. It was amazing how the tunnel held out all this time. That was another thing he had to take note of. The passageway could cave in if they weren't careful. If they were still under the constructs of the palace then the ceilings should be stable enough, but he wasn't entirely sure of the same thing once they reached the Nelde area.

At least, he mused, the dampness of the place could keep their meager water supply from evaporating. Since the place was so soggy and humid, there was a chance that they might come upon a water source later. He hated to admit it, but he had never been familiar with this tunnel, despite its existence since before Elendia's liberation.

The Arc girl followed quietly behind their lines. She had been surprisingly reticent since he laid out the plans for their defensive formation.

Someone whimpered feebly. The smell, or the claustrophobia, must be getting to the villagers. They still had a few hours to go before he'd let them rest.

"Talk to me, Ledah," Rose spoke from his shoulder. Her voice still held some of her usual sarcasm, but the long march must've worn her out. "Please. It's too quiet."

Ledah said nothing, calmly taking in the anxious breathing of the Sprites, the distant _drip-drip_ of water, the steady, creaking sound of cartwheels and soft neighing of the horses, the tired, deliberate sound of soles padding on the wet ground. Farther down the line were hints of nervous whispers, and the occasional sniffling of someone who was likely to fall ill later on.

"Shouldn't you be the one to talk? As I recall, you haven't finished your history lesson."

He felt her tail flick irritably at his hair. "I can't remember, okay? This place—this place is—"

He shrugged, tipping Rose to one side.

"Hey! I nearly fell off, you—!" she screeched, clutching at his sleeve.

"Have you traveled as far as Granteese?"

She raised her hackles. "Don't change the subject!" she hissed.

Ledah smiled coolly. "You wanted me to talk, remember? Have you been to Granteese?"

Rose bristled. "_Yeah_, I've been to Granteese. Master Idrah insisted that we visit every single continent. We got there before it was turned into a wasteland. There were survivors, but we had to leave them."

"And Vestiah?"

"Hmm. Been there." He felt her relax. "He sent them after the survivors in Granteese. Told them to build an army, or something like that. But that was decades ago."

Ledah glanced around. It was quiet, but it was an interested silence. He didn't want to reveal anything more. "Where did you meet Ein?"

Rose shifted a little on his shoulder. "Kasa. His village was under attack at that time."

"I see."

"How've ya been?"

He scoffed. "I already told you."

"Still can't remember, huh?" Rose trilled gleefully. He distinctly heard the sarcasm in her tone. She was feeling better, he realized. A chat wouldn't hurt, but would have to wait until they had some privacy. There was little they could talk about otherwise.

"Has Ein been good to you?"

Rose chuckled. "He's kind of a pushover, but yeah, he's okay." She shifted again. "Could your Diviner still ward off Demons?"

"Mm." He decided that that was better than shaking his head. "But only a little. It would be of little help if the Demons tried to come here." _The less they know of Lorelei's existence, the better._

Rose peered at the weapon strapped to his back. Lorelei glimmered, the runes twinkling between black feathers. _I remember. It powers were sealed a long time ago._ "But," she paused, "what will you do, once we get there?"

"I'll have to find the rest, if I can, or fight him on my own."

"And lose," she told him pointedly.

He looked at her. "And what do _you_ propose to do?"

Rose smirked. "Hey, I'm open to ideas. Just not the stupid ones."

-o0o-

She alighted on the small village, still shaking, though not visibly. The stench of gunpowder and clouds of dust hung in the air, coloring the wind, stinging her nose and eyes. Shrapnel from the duds could be found several meters from the blasted remains of the Golems. She forced herself to look up, daring not to see the limbs and spears jutting from under the blood-spattered rocks, and the listless bodies tracing the landscape like the trampled homes of Kasa.

An enormous chunk had been taken out of the cliff side during the initial explosion, and its impact and lack of foundation sent the rest tumbling down. A large, yawning cavity marked where most of the cliff used to be. She clenched her fists.

"_We have our duties. Having emotions would hamper that."_

Her body shook violently. She tried to forget the hope in their eyes, the petulant glare of one who might have been killed, the third generation of survivors from dead kingdoms wanting to see the homes they never knew. She tried to forget the look of her comrades who died that night, so many years ago.

"_We do _not_ make mistakes in that regard. Understood?"_

She heard a moan, swung around to face behind her.

"Malice." It was pleading. She walked to a body pressed between the remains of a well and a large rock. His eyes were closed, his helm lying a few feet away. A steady flow of blood pooled on the ground—she could hear the ominous dripping. She drew Skadi and hacked away at the rock until she freed him.

He gently slid over the old well and onto the dirt, smearing blood on the stones as he did so. She stripped away his broken armor, whose fragments had pierced him in the chest and abdomen. It probably didn't matter. The rock would've crushed his ribs and the gods knew what else.

"We won, right?" he whispered, staring up at the darkening sky. He gave her a warm, pained smile—he really couldn't do anything else. "We drove those Demons away, didn't we?"

She looked at him, frustrated at the sight of his now useless limbs, at the chill she was feeling. The blasted wind was getting on her nerves.

She wanted to scream, no, they didn't win at all. The Demons retreated of their own accord. They were duped. And now, they had left their families defenseless in the middle of a wasteland. The Demons could come back—they might have retreated, but she doubted that they would go far. Likely, they might've stayed beyond the mountains to bide their time, waiting for the detonation before they return to wipe them out.

Her mind reeled. She should have withdrawn her troops, or entered the fray—no, she should have anticipated their line of attack. But how? Exploding Golems were never used in the Ragnarok. In another time she would have wondered how they had acquired the formula for making the bombs. Everything had gone wrong from the beginning, when they took that Demon prisoner. His allies must have expected him to squeal. They had this planned from the start.

She realized that she didn't have to say anything, when she saw his head loll over one side, that sincere, hopeful smile still on his face. She gritted her teeth, trembled. The wind blew across the battlefield, wailing as it traveled further and climbed what was left of the rocky outcrop.

-o0o-

Well that's another chappie out of the way, though I must admit this story's drawing out longer than I expected. At this rate I might go beyond twenty chapters, but that's all good, eh? Provided this ficky's been fun to read so far, that is.


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